April 19, 2003 - D.C. Divas vs. Baltimore

Game 2, Defensive MVP #56 Tessa Nelson

The D.C. Divas took the field April 19th for their first home game against their archrival the Baltimore Burn. Both teams expected a game much like each of last year’s meetings, a tough match-up since the Baltimore Burn was the only team to beat the D.C. Divas in 2002. However, when the buzzer sounded after four rough quarters of football, the D.C. Divas had not just beaten the Burn, but they did what last year seemed impossible—they shutout the 2002 division champs for a 24-0 win.

The D.C. Divas gained control early, with a touchdown carried by running back Donna Wilkinson. Wilkinson carried the ball 36 times for an impressive 202 total rushing yards. With a successful 2-point conversion, the D.C. Divas were on the board 8-0 in the first quarter. The Burn was unable to get anything going against the D.C. Divas’ defense. So in the D.C. Divas’ next drive Wilkinson and wide receiver Tara Kallal gained yardage. The D.C. Divas could nearly taste their second touchdown during this drive in the second quarter, but they had to wait until their next possession. With 1:51 left in the first half, quarterback Allyson Hamlin threw a touchdown pass to wide receiver Nikki Williams. With the 2-point conversion made, the D.C. Divas went to the half with a lead of 16-0.

Game 2, Offensive MVP, Donna Wilkinson

The teams played a third quarter with no score, and the fourth quarter saw back-to-back interceptions just 8 seconds apart. Baltimore first picked off a D.C. Divas pass at the 14:53 mark. Then D.C. Divas’ safety Jennifer Long grabbed a Baltimore pass with 14:45 left in the fourth quarter. The D.C. Divas converted this regained possession into a scoring opportunity when Wilkinson carried the ball in for her second touchdown of the evening with 11:30 on the clock. With another successful 2-point conversion, the D.C. Divas were sitting pretty at 24-0. The Burn put some pressure on with their next drive reaching within a few yards of the goal. But the D.C. Divas held them back, and Baltimore was unable to score.

When the clock finally ran down, the D.C. Divas domination was complete with a strong running game and with a defense that shut down the Burn’s offense. Asked about this phenomenal win against their long-standing rival, Head Coach Cooper had this to say about his two-touchdown running back, who was voted Offensive MVP for the second straight week, "Donna Wilkinson has got to be the best backer in the league. She’s unstoppable--I don’t know who’s going to stop her; she’s the heart and soul of the team." She and the Divas have a bye week next week but face the Pittsburgh Passion at home on May 3rd at Eastern High School. The Pittsburgh Passion is a fledgling team that managed to keep Baltimore to just a 7-0 score in the Passion’s first home game.

The DIVAS have a bye week before returning to Eastern High School on Saturday May 3rd when they take on the Pittsburgh Passion at 7pm. Tickets are available.

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