Pittsburgh Passion Shuts Down Philadelphia Firebirds And Remains Undefeated

What does it take to make a winning team and a winning season?

It takes everyone doing her job on every play. It takes pride, discipline, and character. It takes a team like the Pittsburgh Passion, who closed out the home portion of the 2014 regular-season 4-0 and pushed their overall record to 7-0 as they blanked the Philadelphia Firebirds 31-0 on Saturday night at Cupples Stadium.

The Black and Gold defense posted their fourth shutout of the season while the victory was the 24th win out of the last 26 games played on the South Side of the Steel City. It should be noted that the Passion defense has allowed just 18 points total on the scoreboard in seven contests.

Pittsburgh’s defense dominated Philadelphia for the second time this season as they had shut out the Firebirds on the road 42-0 in Week 2. Cornerback Sharon Vasquez led the squad with six tackles and one sack while fellow cornerback Krissy Edmonds grabbed her sixth interception of the season.

Not to be denied was defensive lineman Kaitlain Niedermeyer, who had 1 1/2 sacks to go along with five tackles while defensive end Kim Zubovic contributed five tackles and one sack. Linebacker Octavia Griswold also put up five tackles and half a sack.

For the second game in a row, quarterback Lisa Horton threw for 149 passing yards on the evening. She put up two touchdown passes while contributing 28 rushing yards. Horton’s two favorite targets were wide receivers Angela Baker, who hauled in both scoring receptions along with 33 receiving yards, and Rachel Wojdowski, who ended the contest with 116 receiving yards.

The ground game provided balance for the offense as fullback Kadesha Clark added her sixth rushing touchdown of the year. Running back Ciara Chic checked in with 63 rushing yards which included three runs of 20 yards or more. In her last game against the New York Sharks, Chic racked up 145 rushing yards. Finally, tailback Sonya Osselborn provided 40 rushing yards on the night.

Special teams continue to make a difference as placekicker Amy Fallon drove a 26-yard field goal through the uprights while going four-for-four on extra points.

Pittsburgh remains locked with the Keystone Assault for first place in the Mid-Atlantic Division of the Independent Women’s Football League as both squads have identical 7-0 records.

The Passion will wrap up the regular season away from the friendly confines of Cupples Stadium when they load up the team bus on Saturday to take on the Nighthawks in Baltimore at 4 p.m.