Recap vs. Baltimore Burn – June 22, 2002

Recap vs. Baltimore Burn – June 22, 2002

Winning Season for the Divas Ends With A 6-0 Defeat
Baltimore 6, DC 0
By Leah Fahringer

Washington, DC – The D.C. Divas hosted their final regular season game of 2002 at home against the Baltimore Burn to a record crowd of over 1,000 fans. In a game that meant all or nothing, the Divas’ fate rested entirely in their hands. A win would guarantee DC a spot in the playoffs, while a loss could end their season.

In the end, the Baltimore Burn proved too much to overcome. The Divas took a narrow 6-0 defeat, ending their season just one game shy of their first playoff berth.

After three meetings this season which featured just six combined touchdowns, fans were prepared for a defensive slugfest. The Divas (6-3) featured the #2-ranked defense in women’s football, behind only the top-ranked defense of the Baltimore Burn. The game lived up to expectations, as it was a brutal defensive battle with neither team giving up any ground.

The first half was scoreless, with neither offense able to gain any momentum. At the beginning of the third quarter, the Divas moved the ball inside the Baltimore 20-yard line. But the drive stalled, and the Divas were unable to come away with points. Both defenses continued their battle well into the fourth quarter. As time wound down in the contest, it looked as though these two teams might play a full sixty minutes without a score.

With just 1:55 left in the game, the Burn (9-1) advanced the ball near the Divas’ 30-yard line. The Burn quarterback threw a pass along the sideline, which a Baltimore receiver hauled in before sprinting to the end zone for the first and only points of the game, 6-0.

After a great kickoff return to midfield, DC only had fifty yards to go for a possible game-winning score. But just as had been the case all evening, the Divas’ final offensive drive fell short. Baltimore’s defense proved impenetrable, while the Divas’ lone defensive lapse proved to be the difference in a 6-0 triumph for the Burn.

The Burn claimed the Mid-Atlantic Division championship with the win and will face the Philadelphia Liberty Belles in a league quarterfinal playoff game. The Divas, on the other hand, finished just one game short of a wild card playoff spot. The Divas finish their season with a 6-3 mark, the first winning season in team history. Their three losses were all narrow defeats at the hands of the Burn, with the Divas’ 12-6 victory over Baltimore serving as the only blemish on the Burn’s 9-1 regular season record.