Staten Island, New York, May 17, 2003
The New York Sharks (5-0) were on the verge of clinching their second division IWFL title this Saturday. A victory over the Philadelphia Liberty Belles (2-3) would ensure that they would end the season with the best record in the Mid-Atlantic division even though the Sharks have 3 more games left on the schedule. This was the second meeting between the two clubs with New York winning the first encounter 48-0 in Pennsylvania. The Liberty Belles had gone 2-1 since and were looking to avenge their loss but more importantly to stay alive in the playoff hunt.
The skies had cleared after a few days of rain in Staten Island. At kickoff time the temperature was in the low 50’s, so the fans were bundled up for a game that felt more like Fall football than Spring football. Former WNBA star Kym Hampton sang the National Anthem before the game and then performed the coin toss. She brought luck to New York as the Sharks won the toss for the 4th time this season. The Sharks had elected to receive and it was off to the races.
The Sharks started in good field position from their own 49-yard line after a Courtney Eaton return. Immediately the Sharks went to the air, but quarterback Val Halesworth‘s first pass to Val Monaco was short and fell incomplete. Halesworth next three passes were on target and moved the ball down to Philadelphia’s 14-yard line. Missy Marmorale then ran with the ball up the middle for a touchdown. Virginia Leon ran in the 2-point conversion and with only 2:10 elapsed, New York was ahead 8-0.
The Sharks defense was in fine form again. They stopped Philadelphia on 3 plays and forced them to punt. For the whole game, they held the Liberty Belles to 10 yards passing, 24 yards rushing, and only one first down.
With the ball back in their hands, the Sharks struck again. Halesworth hit wide receiver Liz Presto with a 39-yard bomb and after only one play from scrimmage, New York was on the scoreboard again. The 2-point conversion failed as the pass to Monaco went over her head. Still with 9:32 left in the first quarter, the Sharks were ahead 14-0.
New York scored their third touchdown of the quarter on their next possession. This one took a little longer as they needed 4 plays to score. Again going to the air, Halesworth hit Jen Blum for a 39-yard bomb and then Monaco on a 26-yard reception. This put the ball on the 1-yard line where upon Halesworth called her own number and ran it in for the score. On the 2-point conversion, Marmorale ran it in by going to her left. The score was now 22-0.
In the second quarter, Halesworth continued to go deep on the Philadelphia secondary. The highlight of their fourth touchdown was a 42-yard bomb to Blum. At this point, Halesworth completed 7 out of 8 pass attempts. She finished the evening completing 9 passes out of 12 tries.
The Liberty Belles tried to change their offensive attack by going to the air. Throwing on 3 downs in a row, quarterback Karen Ericsson could not complete one and Philadelphia quickly punted the ball away.
The Sharks were on the verge of scoring another touchdown when Philadelphia got their one break of the game. New York fumbled the ball and the Liberty Belles recovered the ball on their own 3-yard line. But this turned out to only be a temporary respite. Running back Alissa Wykes was able to gain Philadelphia’s only first down in this series but a leaping interception returned for a touchdown by linebacker Chrissy Hilla turned the tide back to New York. The 26-yard return was New York’s third interception returned for a touchdown this season. Monaco kicked the extra point and the lead was now 37-0 at the half.
In the second half the Sharks kept the ball on the ground, and they continued to not be denied. Marmorale rushed for two more touchdowns with runs of 25 and 39 yards. The last New York touchdown of the evening was scored by rookie Teresa Schirrippa on a 40-yard scamp.
With the victory, the Sharks have now clinched the Mid-Atlantic division title and are guaranteed a spot in the playoffs, but the Sharks still have a lot to aim for. The team with the best record in the IWFL Eastern conference will get a bye in the first round of the playoffs and Bay State and Miami are also undefeated thus far this season.
Game balls were given to the defense for their record 5th straight shutout, Hilla for her interception returned for a touchdown, Marmorale for her three touchdown runs, and the last one went to offensive linesman Nicole Gwinett.
New York has next week off and will return back to the field on May 31st. They will be hosting the Albany Night-Mares at August Martin High School in Jamaica, Queens. It will be Girl Scout’s Day with each Girl Scouts being admitted for only $3. The winner of the P. C. Richard & Son Giant TV Raffle will also be selected at halftime. Kick off is at 3pm.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Liberty Belles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| New York Sharks | 22 | 15 | 14 | 7 | 58 |
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
NY – (12:50) Marmorale 14 yard run (Leon run)
NY – (09:32) Presto 39 yard pass from Halesworth (pass failed)
NY – (04:20) Halesworth 1 yard run (Marmorale run)
Second Quarter
NY – (14:11) Blum 42 yard pass from Halesworth (Leon pass from Halesworth)
NY – (03:46) Hilla 26 yard interception return (Monaco kick)
Third Quarter
NY – (09:05) Marmorale 25 yard run (Monaco kick)
NY – (04:00) Marmorale 39 yard run (Monaco kick)
Fourth Quarter
NY – (09:43) Schirrippa 40 yard run (Monaco kick)