Pittsburgh Passion Notebook: On the road again for Week 3

Last Saturday evening, it was a good night for Pittsburgh football as the Passion shut out the Reign 42-0 at Gallagher Stadium in Toledo, Ohio. The victory allowed Pittsburgh to pull their record even at 1-1 in the AFC Division 2 of the Women’s Football Alliance.

The Pittsburgh offense was hitting all cylinders against the Reign defense as starting quarterback Lisa Horton went 12-of-20 for 175 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. Wide receiver Rachel Wojodowski was the number one target for Horton as she hauled in 8 passes for 128 yards and all three touchdowns. Rookie fullback Candace Snyder had 9 carries for 131 yards and two touchdowns on the night.

The Passion defense asserted itself by shutting down the Toledo offense, in part, with four sacks, and by coming up with two fumble recoveries by defensive lineman Kaitlain Neidermeyer and linebacker Tia Montgomery. Defensive end Olivia Griswold contributed on special teams with a blocked punt.

NEXT UP: On Saturday, April 20 the Passion will load up the team bus and head to the Aviator Sports Complex in Brooklyn, New York to take on the Sharks at 8 p.m. New York is also 1-1 going in to Week Three of the 2013 season. The Passion will be back at Highmark Stadium on Saturday, April 27 for a 7:05 p.m. kickoff with the Columbus Comets. The team will celebrate their Second Annual Community Night on the 27th. For more information, please visit the team online at: http://www.pittsburghpassion.com/

PASSION PRIDE: After two weeks of play, wide receiver Rachel Wojdowski and fullback Candace Snyder are tied for the team lead in touchdowns with three each. Last year, Wojdowski set a franchise record with ten touchdown receptions in just her second season.

So far this season, Snyder is the leading rusher for the Passion with 15 carries for 155 yards to go along with her three touchdowns. Her longest run has been for 38 yards. Running back Ciara Chic is second with five carries for 62 yards and one touchdown. Her longest run has been for 53 yards.

In week one against the D.C. Divas, quarterback Lisa Horton passed for her 100th career touchdown in the regular season on a 59-yard strike to wide receiver Amanda Haeg in the second quarter. Lisa’s first career touchdown pass was back on April 19, 2003 to tight end Sherry Kring for 9-yards against Columbus. Two weeks into this season, the three-time MVP is 29-for-57 for 419 yards and five touchdowns.

During the game in Toledo, kicker Amy Fallon became the Passion’s all-time extra point leader with 73 career PAT’s. Fallon also holds the franchise record for most career field goals. This season, Amy is eight-of-nine on PAT’s, and she is one-of-two on field goal attempts. Her longest field goal in 2013 has been from 30-yards.

On the defensive side of the ball, after two games, Olivia Griswold leads the Passion in tackles with 16, and in sacks with 3.5. The six-year veteran led Pittsburgh with 47 tackles last season. Defensive end Kim Zubovic has 11 tackles and one sack, while defensive lineman Kaitlain Neidermeyer has 10 tackles and one sack.