Staten Island, New York, June 18, 2005
The New York Sharks (9-0) were looking to clinch home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs as they hosted the Rhode Island Intensity (1-9). The Intensity on the other hand were looking to end their season on a high note. Last weekend the Intensity played 2 games over 2 straight days. Losing on Saturday to the Connecticut Lightning and then winning their first victory of the season against the Montreal Blitz on Sunday. But playing back to back football games took a toll on the ladies from the Ocean State as they travelled to the Big Apple with a few starters missing due to injuries.
The evening began with the return of former Sharks linebacker Darleen “Blue” Hall to the New York City area. She had moved to Portland, Oregon earlier in the year and had played for the Portland Shockwave. The Sharks welcomed back the visiting Blue with open arms and she participated in the coin toss. Unfortunately, the Intensity won the toss and elected to receive the ball to start the game.
With a Sharks team that is getting itself fine-tuned for the playoffs and an Intensity team on the mend at the end of a disappointing season, things weren’t looking too good for the visitors. And while Rhode Island gave it their best, it was not enough and they were overwhelmed.
It didn’t take New York long to get on the scoreboard. Right after the opening kickoff and a short 3 yard gain by Rhode Island, Lisa Doran picked off a Chrystal Alcock pass for an interception. This gave the Sharks the ball on the Intensity’s 40-yard line. A 24 yard rumble by Missy Marmorale and a 10 yard reception by Virginia “Cha Chi” Leon and the Sharks had the ball on the Rhode Island 6-yard line. From here, Teresa Schirrippa bulldozed her way in to give New York the lead 6-0 with 12:11 left in the first quarter. Kicker Nikki Gwinnett split the uprights to extend the lead to 7-0.
Later in the first quarter, another Rhode Island turnover resulted in another New York score. Sharks rookie Nicole Mondie recovered an Intensity fumble on the Rhode Island 36-yard line. After a pair of pass completions to receiver Jen Blum, New York had the ball on the 2-yard line. From here the Sharks used the size of their offensive line to allow quarterback Val Halesworth to score to make it a 13-0 game with 1:02 left in the quarter. Gwinnett connected on her second extra point to make it 14-0.
Throughout the whole game it was a story of Rhode Island turnovers and New York taking advantage of the miscues. Overall the Intensity turned the ball over 7 times and each time the Sharks scored a touchdown. Three of the turnovers came on interceptions and 4 on fumbles. Two of the interceptions were by the rookie Doran who tied a team record for most interceptions in a game. The other Sharks record holders are Michelle Brown and none other than Blue. The other interception was by Toni Salvatore her second of the season.
Even when the Sharks didn’t benefit from a turnover they were still able to score. Out of 11 drives, New York scored on 9 of them. Defensively they held Rhode Island to 1 first down and to minus 1 offensive yards for the game. On offensive, almost everyone had a hand in scoring. New York rushed for over 230 yards from 6 different runners, with Schirrippa having the most with 87 yards while scoring 3 times. Halesworth passed for over 175 yards connecting with 6 different receivers.
Overall the Sharks crossed over into the endzone 9 times to make the final score 59-0. It was the largest margin of victory since they defeated the Philadelphia Liberty Belles, 58-0 on May 17, 2003 at Staten Island.
Game balls were given out to Doran for her 2 interceptions and 1 touchdown reception in the second quarter, and the other game ball went to another rookie Mandy Oppel. Oppel scored 2 touchdowns but also made her presence felt on defense with many tackles.
With the victory, the Sharks have clinched home field advantage for the first round of the playoffs. Depending on their seeding in the playoffs, the Sharks could be hosting the South Atlantic division winner Jacksonville Dixie Blues or the IWFL Eastern Conference wildcard team, Southern Maine Rebels. The game will be played on July 9th at 7pm at Monsignor Farrell High School. Tickets are available in our official on-line store The Bait Shop.
The Sharks will host the Montreal Blitz next week on Saturday, June 25th. Kick-off time is 7pm at Monsignor Farrell High School. If you cannot make it to the game, you can still follow all the hard hitting football action. Pat Brown and Dave Maxwell will bring you all of the action on our flagship radio station KEDU-FM.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island Intensity | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| New York Sharks | 14 | 25 | 13 | 7 | 59 |
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
NY – (12:11) Schirrippa 6 yard run (Gwinnett kick)
NY – (01:02) Halesworth 2 yard run (Gwinnett kick)
Second Quarter
NY – (10:44) Marmorale 1 yard run (kick failed)
NY – (06:52) Oppel 1 yard run (Gwinnett kick)
NY – (02:09) Doran 18 yard pass from Halesworth (kick failed)
NY – (00:43) Tanida 14 yard pass from Halesworth (kick failed)
Third Quarter
NY – (10:37) Schirrippa 16 yard run (kick failed)
NY – (06:52) Oppel 15 yard run (Gwinnett kick)
Fourth Quarter
NY – (09:34) Schirrippa 16 yard run (Gwinnett kick)