Recap vs. Asheville Assault – April 27, 2002
D.C. Divas Halt Asheville’s Assault, 22-0
DC 22, Asheville 0
By Neal Rozendaal
Recap • Statistics
Asheville, NC – In a game that was more lopsided than the final score would indicate, the D.C. Divas cruised to their second victory of the season by downing the Asheville Assault, 22-0.
The Divas (2-1) traveled south to Asheville, North Carolina, for their first road contest of the year. The Divas took the opening kickoff and marched down the field. But the Divas were stopped for no gain on fourth down right at the Asheville goal line and turned the ball over on downs. The favorable field position paid off three plays later, however, when the Divas’ Emerine Kelsey tackled an Asheville ballcarrier in the end zone for a safety and a 2-0 Divas lead.
The Divas would not be stopped on their next possession. A long 33-yard return by Tara Kallal led to a short offensive drive, topped off by a 10-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Deb Troell to Kallal. Stacy Palmer kicked the extra point for a 9-0 lead after one quarter.
The Asheville Assault (1-1) were unable to pick up a first down in the first half, and the Divas offense took advantage midway through the second quarter. Monica Livingston broke into the end zone on a three-yard run to extend the D.C. advantage to 15-0.
The first half ended in controversy when an eight-yard touchdown pass from Troell to Kallal was waved off by an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Despite that, the Divas took a 15-0 edge into halftime.
The second half employed a running clock and moved extremely quickly. The Divas turned the ball over on downs on their only possession of the third quarter, but again, the Asheville offense was never able to mount a threat toward the Divas’ goal line.
In the fourth quarter, Tara Kallal capped a long drive with a five-yard touchdown run on a wide receiver reverse. The game was called shortly after.
The Divas next travel to Baltimore for a rematch with the Burn, the only team to score on the Divas in three games this season.
← Previous Game | Next Game → |