Friday, July 12, 2013

(Womens Football Alliance) The final 8 becomes 4 tomorrow

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You can view the the game at 6pm EST on US Sports Network

Take Five: DC Divas Meet Boston Militia in Eastern Conference Semifinals on July 13th
Neal Rozendaal

Washington, DC – When you watch the DC Divas and Boston Militia square off on the football field, there’s a good chance you’ll see something unprecedented in the sport of women’s football. Saturday will be no different.

For the fifth straight year, the DC Divas and Boston Militia will face off in the playoffs when the Divas travel to Dilboy Stadium Saturday; no other pair of women’s football teams has ever met in the playoffs more than three seasons in a row. In addition, this fifth playoff meeting between the Divas and Militia will tie the all-time record for playoff games between two teams, which is currently held by the Sacramento Sirens and Seattle Majestics (who met in the playoffs in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, and 2012).

The Divas defeated the Militia in 2009 for the Eastern Conference championship to advance to their second national title game. But DC has been eliminated from the playoffs by Boston in each of the last three seasons, with the Militia capturing national championships in 2010 and 2011. The Boston Militia have made the playoffs five times in franchise history, and each and every time, the Divas have been there to provide opposition.

When these two teams last played, they combined to score 135 points, the highest scoring game in women’s football history. Not surprisingly, Divas head coach Alison Fischer doesn’t expect too many changes from Boston’s offense this time around.

“We expect Boston to have the same game plan and run the same kind of plays they always do,” Fischer remarked. “They execute very well, and they’re very efficient. They pretty much just challenge you to stop what they’re doing. Their offensive line blocks extremely well, and Whitney Zelee runs hard. She’s a tough runner to bring down once she gets past the line of scrimmage.”

On the other hand, Fischer doesn’t want to make too many changes to her team’s offense, either. “We have the potential to be very explosive offensively, and we’ve shown that at times,” Fischer said. “We want to do the same thing as Boston – execute well and stay with the things we do best. We have to stick to our game plan, too.”

The WFA playoffs have taken a three-week hiatus while the IFAF Women’s World Championship was being held, and as always, the time off is a dual-edged sword. “The break is always good to heal when you have folks with injuries,” Fischer acknowledged. “Breaks always concern me, though, because you do have a tendency to get sluggish. But I think we’ve looked pretty fresh this week, so I feel good about that.”

The northeast has always been a strong region for American women’s football, and the winner of Saturday’s game will claim regional supremacy for the 2013 season. For the ninth time in franchise history, the DC Divas have an opportunity to play for a berth in a conference championship game, and a chance to advance to the Eastern Conference championship is one that isn’t lost on Fischer.

“This is a huge game. We’ve been here so frequently that some people probably take it for granted, but there are only eight teams left,” she concluded. “There are a lot of outstanding football teams on the East Coast and that makes it rough over the course of a season. But we’re a very good team, and if we play well, we’ll be successful.”

Most Consecutive Playoff Meetings in Women’s Football, All-Time
DC DIVAS-BOSTON MILITIA – 5 (2009-2013)
New York Sharks-Atlanta Xplosion – 3 (2005-2007)
Dallas Diamonds-Houston Energy – 3 (2004-2006)
Dallas Diamonds-So Cal Scorpions – 3 (2004-2006)
Sacramento Sirens-Seattle Majestics – 3 (2003-2005)
Oklahoma City Lightning-Pensacola Power – 3 (2003-2005)

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