Below, teams offer their insight on the game ahead!
Music City Mizfits v Knoxville Lightning
Austin Outlaws v Arlington Impact
Colorado Freeze v Santa Fe Dukes
Minnesota Vixen v Kansas City Titans
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Vixen v Titans
Game date: April 21, 2018 @ Simley High School, Inver Grove Heights, MN, Kickoff: 6 p.m.
By Jodi Rehlander
This weekend’s Women’s Football Alliance match-up between the Minnesota Vixen and the Kansas City Titans will be a knock-down, drag-out battle between two surging, well-coached squads.
Both teams boast a 2-0 record, each having beaten the Madison Blaze and the Wisconsin Dragons so far in 2018. Last year, Minnesota bested Kansas City three times, including a 40-6 victory in the first round of the playoffs.
So far this year, the Vixen have played in extreme weather, with a frigid, wet game in Madison and another, even colder game in Milwaukee that has affectionately been dubbed “Sleet Bowl 2018.” But the forecast for Saturday in the Twin Cities is mid-50s with partly cloudy skies.
“Let’s just pray that it is favorable conditions so the fans, players and coaches all have a good time,” says Minnesota offensive line coach John Taylor.
The Titans have several returning players on offense, including WFA All-American wide receiver Liz Sowers. They have outscored their 2018 opponents 94-6 and have their sights set on making things difficult for Nick Leach’s defense, which has also held opponents to six points over two games.
“Kansas City was a great opponent for us last year,” said Vixen offensive coordinator Danny Ekstrand. “They have gotten better this year … we are preparing for them the best we can and are ready for a dogfight until the very end.”
Last year, the Vixen defense intercepted the Titans seven times in their two regular season games, returning four of those for touchdowns. “This is going to be a tough test for our defense, but I like how we are playing right now,” Leach said. “Hopefully we continue to improve every week and keep giving ourselves chances to be successful.”
The Vixen will post live updates on Twitter during their away games, and for the fourth year in a row, Town Square Television will broadcast home games live on local cable access channels and streaming online.
Website: www.mnvixen.com
Facebook: Minnesota Vixen Women’s Football
Twitter: www.twitter.com/MinnVixen
Live stream and replay of home games: Town Square Television
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Music City Mizfits (0-1) at Knoxville Lightning
Midway High School Stadium – 530 Loudon Highway in Kingston, Tennessee, 21 April, 2018
By AnneMarie Snyder
In 2017 the Knoxville Lightning and Music City Mizfits recognized the future of their in-state rivalry with the creation of the Volunteer Cup game. The Mizfits won that inaugural game and this weekend the trophy will travel from Music City to Knoxville to again be placed up for grabs.
Both teams take the field on Saturday after a week off to fight for pride, their teammates, and the Cup.
Knoxville Lightning Defensive Coordinator Gregory Goodman said that the Lightning are prepared to take on the challenge of the Mizfits’ quick outside runs on offense and their ability to effective stack the box on defense.
“The Mizfits bring an experienced and an aggressive offense under the leadership of Donita Hines,” Goodman said. “We have been working over the off week to match the aggression of the Mizfits and have identified our keys.”
Knoxville Quarterback Caroline Rose, a 3-year veteran, is looking forward to a good game and bringing home the “W”!
“Our first game of the season revealed a lot of small mistakes and timing issues,” she said. “We took that knowledge and spent our bye week practices building up our players’ confidence in their abilities, and strengthening our foundation by working on fundamentals.”
“I think we’ve had some great growth and I’ve seen a lot of things start to click as a team,” Rose added. “I think the few tweaks we’ve made to the offense will play to out personnel’s skills and help us move the ball.”
Rookie receiver Mickee Murray is also looking forward to the game.
“We’ve been working hard during our bye week by working on technique and getting back to the basics. Our team has a lot of rookies this year, including myself!” Murray said, adding that the team has a lot of rookies. “We’ve had time to get our first game under our belt and now we’re ready to fight again! I’m looking forward to meeting up with the Mizfits!”
If you cannot see us live, or want more information about our team, please visit our website and follow the action via our social media pages:
Webpage: www.knoxvillelightning.com
Facebook: Knoxville Lightning
Twitter: @knoxlightning14
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Austin Outlaws (D3) 1-1 vs. Arlington Impact (D1) 1-0
Texas School for the Deaf, 7p.m., Saturday April 21
By Kelsy Parks
The Austin Outlaws are warmed up and ready to host the Division 1 Arlington Impact this Saturday in downtown Austin. The Outlaws are fresh off a huge win against Acadiana Zydeco who won the national title just two years ago. The Outlaws put up 61 points against Zydeco, and the Outlaws are looking to keep the D1 Impact at bay.
A few players for the Outlaws to watch on offense are Shadana Hurd and Courtney Rhodes who have had big performances so far this season and plan to keep going. The Outlaws also have Dama Rodriguez at the helm, with several options to look for on the offensive side.
A few defensive call outs for the Outlaws are #31 Stephanie Marshall, who was involved in nearly every tackle against the Zydeco, and Ashley Bradshaw who currently leads the Outlaws in tackles.
The Outlaws have a record of playing very well against the Arlington Impact and expect this year to be a great head-to-head battle. If you are in the area, this is a game you do not want to miss. If you can’t see us live or want more information about our team, then please visit our website and follow the action via our social media pages:
Website: www.austinoutlaws.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/theaustinoutlaws
Instagram: TheAustinOutlaws
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Freeze Vow to Improve Against Sante Fe
By Dominique Watts
As the Colorado Freeze put their opening loss to Las Cruces behind them, they prepare to return to New Mexico to take on Sante Fe this week.
With offensive weapons both on the ground and in the air, quarterback Kenzi Campton will lead the Freeze down the field as they hope to improve to .500.
“We are a team, we are a unit, we [fight] together,” says quarterback Kenzi Campton. “Every game is a new opportunity to work together as a team, and to become better and stronger than the week prior.”
The Freeze defensive unit hopes to improve on the three turnovers they logged against Las Cruces. The disruptive Freeze secondary, who accounted for two interceptions in their first contest, seeks to bring their stifling coverage to Sante Fe.
“I feel really good about the weapons we have on defense,” says John Lutz, defensive coordinator. “There were a few players that really surprised me with their instinct and ability in our first game, so it was nice to find out we have a couple more tools in our tool belt than we thought initially. The coaching staff as a whole has done a lot of film study and we’ve been able to make some necessary tweaks. I feel confident in the game plan that we have drawn up coming into Santa Fe.”