Soul have won five of their last six games. Photo by Andy Lewis/contrastphotography.com

EAST DIVISION SHOWDOWN IN CLEVELAND

Soul Look to Take on Undefeated Gladiators on the Road

By Alycia Canale

Special to the Philadelphia Soul

CLEVELAND (May 21, 2014) – The Philadelphia Soul are back on track after picking up wins the past two weeks at home against New Orleans and Tampa Bay.  The Soul (5-4) look to continue their win ways as they hit the road to face the undefeated Cleveland Gladiators (8-0) on Friday, May 23 at 7 p.m. at the Quicken Loans Arena. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3.

Although the Soul fell to the Storm in Week 3, the Soul were able to come out on top with a 62-34 win in Week 10.  Soul FB Derrick Ross made AFL history with being the first player to have over 2,000 rushing yards in AFL history.  Soul WR Ryan McDaniel had a great game as well scoring four of our nine touchdowns and receiving the RussellAthletic Offensive Player of the Game award.

“We are treating this game as a must win,” said Soul head coach Clint Dolezel.  “Because Cleveland is undefeated, they have the advantage by pretty far ahead of us in the loss column.  We hope to win this game to make up for lost ground earlier this season.”

In the Week 11 matchup between Philadelphia and Cleveland, the Soul offense is looking to stay in stride against a solid Gladiators defense. The Soul receiving duo of Ryan McDanel and Tiger Jones have continued to build their chemistry with QB Dan Raudabaugh each game, giving them 127 receptions, 1,678 yards and 36 touchdowns combined on the season. This will be a great matchup for the Gladiators defensive backfield, led by DB LaRoche Jackson. Jackson has a total of 63.5 tackles and six pass breakups. He led his team during Week 10 with 9.5 tackles and has had a major impact in keeping his team undefeated on the season.

For the Soul, Rayshaun Kizer and James Romain have been the defensive leaders in the secondary this season. Kizer has 47.5 total tackles and 14 pass breakups for the season. Not only did he receive the J Lewis Small AFL Playmaker of the game, but also is No. 2 in Soul history for most interceptions (24) after his two-interception performance last week against the Tampa Bay Storm, trailing only Eddie Moten (31).

“This upcoming game will be competitive. I think it will definitely come down to the fourth quarter. The Gladiators are a great team and we are looking forward to the challenge.” states Soul DB Rayshaun Kizer.

During the Tampa Bay game in Week 10, Romain had an interception and four tackles.  Romain is also the team leader in interceptions in the 2014 season with four (tied with Kizer).  This week will be a true test for Kizer and Romain in their matchup against Gladiator receivers, Dominick Goodman and Thyron Lewis.  Together, the tandem has 108 receptions for 1,254 yards and 28 touchdowns on the season.

The Soul head back home for Week 12 where they will play the San Antonio Talons on Sunday, June 1 at 5 p.m. at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.