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In a hard fought battle on the road, the Kansas City Tribe fell just short of advancing to the Conference Championship game in a 20-23 overtime loss to the Dallas Diamonds.
The game started well for the Tribe as the kick-off team recovered a well placed kick by Amanda Shell to take the initial possession away from the Diamonds. However, after a short gain by Jenny Schmidt and a seven yard completion to Katie Sowers, the Diamonds secondary returned the favor by picking off Schmidt inside the ten and returning the ball to the 24 yard line.
After an encroachment penalty, the Tribe defense forced Dallas into a three and out possession. The punt fell on the Tribe 49 yard line and the offense retook the field. Schmidt hit Liz Sowers for 15 yards across the middle of the field on a third and long play, to bring KC to the 34 yard line, and then quickly connected with Melissa Piper for 11 yards and another first down. A slant pass to Liz Sowers brought the Tribe into the redzone, where two carries by Schmidt resulted in a seven yard touchdown run. Amanda Sweeten split the uprights and the tribe led 7-0 with 8:30 remaining in the initial quarter.
After the resulting kick-off, the Diamond offense started from the 40 yard line. Dallas moved the ball into Tribe territory, but eventually punted from the 34 yard line. Liz Sowers returned the ball ten yards and the Tribe offense started its possession at the 20 yard line. Schmidt threw a quick strike to Liz Sowers for an eight yard gain, and the Tiara Burns plowed through the center of the Diamond defense for a 12 yard gain to move the chains to the 40 yard line.Schmidt advanced the ball five yards on a quarterback keeper and then connected with Liz Sowers once again for a 13 yard completion to move into Dallas territory. A short pass to Katie Sowers and then back to back passes in the flat to Tiara Burns moved the Tribe to the Dallas 19 yard line. On the next play, Schmidt found Lara Guscott in the endzone for the 19 yard TD. Shell's PAT made the score 14-0 with 30 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
Dallas ran the ball on every carry the ensuing possession with Rachel May and Tiffany Hill and capped the scoring drive off with a 20 yard cut back TD run by Hill. However, the snap on the extra point was muffed, leaving the score 14-6 Kansas City with 13 minutes remaining in the first half.
Leslie Gent returned teh kcik-off 18 yards and the Tribe offense took the field on its own 25 yard line. A quick completion to Regan Campbell and a run by Burns resulted in a third and short, but an illigal procedure penalty against the Tribe backed the team up, and despite a completion to Guscott, the Tribe was forced to punt the football. An illegal procedure call forced the Tribe to rekick the football, and the Dallas offense took over on its own 48 yard line after a 24 yard Jeanne Rankin punt. After an intial first down run, the Tribe defense forced a turnover on downs, and Kansas City took over at its own 37 yard line.
Schmidt found Melissa Piper for a quick eight yard gain in the flat and then connected with Regan Campbell down the sidelines for a 23 yard completion, despite the pass interference call. A four yard gain by Schmidt was negated when Burns was immediately tackled for a five yard loss, and the Schmidt was sacked for a 23 yard loss. After a 12 yard punt by Rankin, the Diamond offense took the field on its own 46 yard line. After a series of gound and pound runs, Dallas took to the air and eventually turned the ball over on downs. The Tribe offense resumed possession on its own 31 yard line. The Tribe failed to convert and the punt team returned to the field. Rankin's 24 yard punt was returned four yards and Dallas took over from its own 47.
Back to back completions by Diamond quarterback Monica Foster to Umeki Webb, 24 yards, and Tiffany Hill, 25 yards, advanced the ball to the Tribe 4 yard line. A Tribe pass interference call brought the Diamonds to the one yard line for a first and goal. Fullback Rachel May punded the ball in for the score. The Tribe defense thwarted the two point attempt, and Kansas City led 14-12 with less than one minute remaining in the half.
The Tribe offense took the field for the final possession of the initial half from the 35 yard line after Emily Williams' kick-off bounced out of bounds. Schmidt found Katie Sowers on the sideline for a nine yard gain, but the officials called her down inside the boundaries and the clock continued to run. Schmidt quickly hit Regan Campbell for a twenty yard gain, but time expired in the half before KC could run a final play. The Tribe led 14-12 going into the locker rooms.
The Diamonds kicked off to the Tribe to start the second half of play. Leslie Gent returned the ball 12 yards to the 35 yard line and the offense took the field. Schmidt quickly found Guscott in the middle of the field for a nine yard gain. A five yard gain by Burns moved the chains. Short completions to Katie Sowers, Melissa Piper and Tiara Burns set up a fourth down and three from the Dallas 43. Schmidt hit Burns in the flat for the first down. Dallas picked off Schmidt on the next play to take over on its own 25 yard line. Dallas mixed a series of run plays with a couple passes to move the ball down the field. A well executed fake dive resulted in an option toss to Tiffany Hill for the 12 yard TD run. Foster hit Rachel May for the two point conversion to make the score 20-14 with just under three minutes remaining in the third quarter.
Kansas City started its next possession from the 20 yard line after a line drive kick by Tidwell. However, a questionable penalty backed the Tribe up to the 15 to start the series. Schmidt connected with Katie Sowers for a nine yard gain, and then Liz Sowers for eight yards to move the chains. Another illegal procedure penatly moved KC back to the 27 yard line. Another short completion to Piper and then Schmidt found Guscott across the middle of the field for a twelve yard gain and another first down. Burns gained one yard, Schmidt once again hit Guscott for a six yard gain, and then Burns ran five yards to move the chains and the ball to the Dallas 41 yard line to end the third quarter.
The final quarter started with Schmidt connecting with Piper for four yards and then finding Katie Sowers for a 15 yard gain across the middle. A Diamonds personal foul advanced the ball to the 10 yard line. Katie Sowers took the hand-off four yards to the six yard line, but a two yard loss by Schmidt followed by an eight yard sack moved the Tribe back to the Dallas 16 for a fourth and 15 to go. Once again, Schmidt scrambled in attempt to make a play, but the Diamond defense came up big, forcing another 12 yard sack. The Diamond offense took the field on its own 28 yard line.
A 20 yard run by May moved Dallas to the 48 yard line, however, after a short first down gain, the Kansas City defense came up big with two tackles for a loss, to force a Diamond punt. After a short return, the Tribe offense started at its own 38 yard line. Schmidt connected with Tiara Burns and Liz Sowers to make it fourth and 1 and KC elected to go for it. Burns slashed up the middle to gain two yards and the crucial first down and advance the ball to the 49 yard line. Schmidt, forced to scramble once again, found Liz Sowers on the sideline for an eight yard gain to move into Dallas territory with just over six minutes remaining in the game. A bad snap moved the Tribe back to the 45 yard line, but Schmidt found Katie Sowers streaking down the sideline for the 45 yard TD pass. However, the Dallas front line made it through to block the extra point attempt, tying the game at 20-20 with 6:04 left on the clock.
The Diamond offense started from the 35 yard line after Shell's kick-off sailed out of bounds. Dallas methodically marched inside the Tribe's 33 yard line before a seven yard sack by Linzi Weilert forced a fourth and long. Foster's pass across the middle fell incomplete and the Tribe offense took over on downs with less than two minutes remaining in the game. Schmidt quickly found Guscott across the middle for a 12 yard gain to move into Dallas territory. After a couple incompletions and a short gain to Piper, the Tribe faced a fourth and eight. A Dallas pass intereference call moved the ball to the Dallas 29 yard line with 57 seconds left. Katie Sowers carried for six yards on first down, and then caught a short pass from Schmidt for another six yards to move the chains to the 18 yard line with 24 seconds on the clock. An illegal procedure penalty moved the Tribe back to the 23 yard line. Schmidt eventually found Katie Sowers on an out and up pattern for a 19 yard completion to the four yard line. The field goal unit took the field with one second remaining on the clock. Shell's kick sailed wide right to force the game into overtime.
The WFA plays college overtime rules, and the Tribe started with the ball. Schmidt immediately hit Campbell for 10 yards and a first down. Schmidt then found Guscott for a three yard gain, but then after three incomplete passes, the Diamonds offense took the field. Three staright runs moved Dallas to the 12 yard line and a first down. Another May run advanced the ball to the 10 yard line, but a subsequent Dallas illegal procedure backed them to the 15. Two incomplete passes made it third and long, but then Foster snuck around the corner on a quarterback keeper to move the ball to the seven yard line. The Diamonds elected to bring kicker, Emily Williams on the field. Williams split the uprights to win the game, handing the Tribe its second loss of the season in a 20-23 overtime thriller.
The team would like to thank the most amazing fans in the World - our Tribe nation - for all your support in 2011! |
