Washington, DC – The D.C. Divas will begin their championship defense by facing a team that is doing the same.
The defending WFA champion D.C. Divas (7-1) will host the two-time defending IWFL champion Pittsburgh Passion (7-2) in a women’s football playoff matchup on June 25 (Prince George’s Sports Complex in Landover, MD; 6:00 PM kickoff). The Divas and Passion are two of the sport’s top teams and will battle it out for the right to advance to the Eastern Conference championship game on July 9.
The Divas earned the top seed in the Eastern Conference and home field advantage throughout the Women’s Football Alliance (WFA) playoffs with a convincing 55-7 victory over the Boston Renegades on June 4. Boston was hampered by the absence of their star quarterback, Allison Cahill, who suffered a season-ending shoulder injury two weeks earlier. Nevertheless, Divas head coach Alison Fischer was pleased with the Divas’ performance that clinched the top seed for D.C.
“That was a big win, because it sealed home field advantage for us and the top seed in the conference,” Fischer confirmed. “Boston obviously is a different team without Cahill, but I still thought we played pretty well in all phases. We finished the year strong, which is what you want to do at the end of the season going into the playoffs.”
The Divas concluded the year with the top seed in the East and a 7-1 overall record. After a season-opening loss to the top-ranked and undefeated Dallas Elite, the D.C. Divas have won seven in a row against a schedule ranked as the toughest in women’s football.
“We got off to a sluggish start in our first game [against Dallas], but we’ve grown and gotten better each game since then,” Coach Fischer said. “We’re playing our best football of the year, which is what you want to do at this point in the season. Our coaching staff preaches to the team that we need to get better every week, and for the most part I think we’ve done that.”
The Divas – the defending WFA national champions – will need to continue to improve as they prepare for a conference semifinal matchup against the Pittsburgh Passion. The Passion left the WFA in 2014 and joined the smaller Independent Women’s Football League (IWFL); Pittsburgh dominated that league for two seasons, winning back-to-back titles before rejoining the WFA this season. Because of their two-season absence, the Divas have not faced their old Pittsburgh rivals since 2013, and although some of the younger players are unfamiliar with what the Passion bring to the table, Coach Fischer knows what a difficult challenge they pose.
“They’re a very, very good squad,” Fischer remarked. “We have a lot of young folks who haven’t been around long enough to play them, so this will be new territory for them. Pittsburgh will give us some different looks than most of the other teams we’ve played this season. We will definitely have our hands full. It should be a great game between two really good teams.”
Two of the top quarterbacks in women’s football will face off in the Passion’s Lisa Horton and the Divas’ Allyson Hamlin. Coach Fischer praised the leadership Horton brings to the opposing sidelines.
“Similar to us, Pittsburgh has a veteran quarterback who is really an outstanding leader on that team,” Fischer said. “[Horton] is given a lot of freedom to call the plays and make adjustments on the field. When you have that in a veteran quarterback, it’s a huge benefit to your team. She’s a smart quarterback who reads defenses very well; she’ll find your weaknesses and exploit them. She’s a terrific competitor, and we expect a great game from her and the rest of their offense. Our defense will have their hands full, for sure.”
Both teams are also powered by outstanding running backs. In the Divas’ last game against Boston, Kenyetta Grigsby became the first player in franchise history to score 100 touchdowns with the team. Pittsburgh will counter with Tara Catone, who has impressed Coach Fischer on film.
“Catone is a very good running back. She runs low, she’s strong, and she’s quick. She has all the skills you need for a great running back,” Coach Fischer observed. “She has definitely done some damage throughout the season. It will be a very big challenge trying to stop that offense, which runs through Lisa [Horton] and the passing game but which is complemented by a pretty solid running game as well.”
The Pittsburgh Passion also feature a smart, hard-hitting defense. “What impresses me about Pittsburgh’s defense is that they are very disciplined,” Fischer said. “They play together as a team and everyone does their job. They’re always hustling and always seem to end up where they need to be. We’re going to be challenged on offense to execute in order to be effective.”
The D.C. Divas will be making their 13th playoff appearance this year, a women’s football record. In the “win or go home” setting of the playoffs, Coach Fischer believes that a tough regular season schedule and the presence of several veteran leaders has prepared the team for this moment.
“We’ve treated several games on our schedule this year like playoff games,” Fischer noted. “Having been through this process last year, we have a lot of veteran players who are familiar with the playoff atmosphere and who know what needs to be done. Our veterans know that we can’t leave anything on the field and that we have to play our best. The players are aware of the stakes. It definitely gets cranked up a notch from here on out.”
Like last year, when the Divas stormed their way to the national championship, the Divas have been rewarded for an outstanding regular season with home field advantage throughout the playoffs. “We’re looking forward to playing at home and being in front of our fans,” Coach Fischer declared. “It looks like we’ll finally get a good weather day, so hopefully people come out to see a great football game. There will be two great women’s football teams battling it out in a playoff matchup, and we’re just thankful to be in front of our home crowd for this one.”
Tickets are on sale now for the D.C. Divas’ conference semifinal playoff game against the Pittsburgh Passion. Visithttp://dcdivas.com/
What: D.C. Divas vs. Pittsburgh Passion
When: Saturday, June 25 – Kickoff at 6:00 PM
Where: Prince George’s Sports Complex, across from FedEx Field
Address: 8100 Sheriff Road, Landover, MD 20785
For tickets and more information: http://dcdivas.
Series Notes
This will be the 15th all-time meeting between the D.C. Divas and the Pittsburgh Passion...the Divas hold a 10-4 advantage in the overall series, but the Passion have won four of the last seven regular season meetings between the two teams dating back to 2006...the Divas have a 2-0 record all-time against the Passion in the playoffs: a 27-17 victory in the conference semifinals in 2009, and a 45-30 win in the conference quarterfinals in 2012...the Divas (117) and Passion (103) are two of only seven active teams with over 100 victories all-time in women’s football.
Allyson Hamlin (1,436) and Lisa Horton (1,418) rank third and fourth in the WFA, respectively, in passing yards...Divas running back Kenyetta Grigsby (825) and Passion running back Tara Catone (812) each rank in the top ten in the league in rushing yards...Angela Baker leads the Pittsburgh receiving corps with 724 yards, good for second in the league, while the Divas’ Ashley Whisonant ranks fifth in the league with 600 receiving yards of her own...Whisonant led the WFA in the regular season with 12 receiving touchdowns, while Baker was right behind with 11...defensively, Pittsburgh linebacker Hannah Daman (73) and D.C. linebacker Tia Watkins (62.5) each rank in the top ten in the league in tackles for two of the best defenses in the sport.
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