2014 Cutter’s Receiver of the Year Marco Thomas will add some spark tomorrow.

By: Katy Rubino
Special to the Philadelphia Soul

PHILADELPHIA (March 27, 2015) – The Philadelphia Soul look to kick off the 2015 season with a win on the road. The Soul (0-0) will travel to Orlando to face the Predators (0-0) in their season opener at the Amway Center on Sunday, March 29 at 7 p.m.  The game will be broadcasted on ESPN.

During the 2014 season, the Soul were victorious in a 42-35 win against the Predators in Week 17, increasing the series record to 5-1.  Soul head coach Clint Dolezel is confident in this year’s team to keep that winning spirit alive. The powerful combination of Dan Raudabaugh and Marco Thomas will lead the Soul offense down the field.

Thomas joins the Soul after finishing the 2014 season by winning Cutter’s Receiver of the Year and First Team All-Arena accolades.  Last season Thomas recorded 151 receptions for 1,946 yards, with 39 touchdowns for the Iowa Barnstormers.  Raudabaugh completed 363 passes for 4,328 yards, with 85 touchdowns last season for the Soul.  Another strong addition to the receiving core this season is Shaun Kauleinamoku, led Pittsburgh with 124 receptions for 1,359 yards, with 19 touchdowns last season with the Power.

Philadelphia’s defense has also strengthened in the off-season, with the addition of LB Beau Bell, from the LA KISS. Bell recorded 43 tackles, a franchise record of 13.0 sacks and five pass breakups in the 2014 season and was awarded First Team All-Arena.

The Soul also welcome back veteran defensive back, James Romain to the 2015 roster. Last season Romain recorded 75 tackles, with 16 assists and two defensive touchdowns.  Newly acquired Curtis Young comes from Pittsburgh and will add some veteran strength and skill to the defensive front.  Young recorded 25.5 total tackles and 7.0 sacks in his 18 games with the Power in 2014. Former Power teammate Justin Lawrence also joins Young up front by adding 17.5 tackles and 3.0 sacks from the nose guard position.

Orlando’s QB Bernard Morris, along with leading receiver Greg Carr will provide a challenge for the Soul defense. Carr recorded 113 receptions for 1,435 yards and 36 touchdowns and was awarded both NET10 Rookie of the Year and Second Team All-Arena for 2014.

Orlando QB Bernard Morris

The biggest concern for Soul receivers is defensive back Anthony Shutt.  Shutt led the Predators’ defense with 81.5 total tackles, two tackles for a loss of four yards and two interceptions for 38 yards in 2014.
 
The Soul will head to Spokane to face off against the Shock in Week 2 on Saturday, April 4th at 10 p.m. ET at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena.