Ryan McDaniel led the Soul receivers with nine catches for 127 yards and two touchdowns. Photo by Todd Bauders/contrastphotography.com

Win Over VooDoo Leads to Best Start in Franchise History

PHILADELPHIA (June 6, 2015) – A big second half comeback gave the Philadelphia Soul (10-1) a 62-41 victory over the New Orleans VooDoo (2-9) in front of 8,197 in Philadelphia at the Rothman Field at Wells Fargo Center Saturday night.

“We didn’t make plays in the first half, but the defense really stepped it up and we started making plays in the second half,” said Head Coach Clint Dolezel. “Next week we have to have it turned on all game. Our offense is a good unit, and our defense is getting stronger; we’re headed in the right direction.”

J. Lewis Small Playmaker of the Game Ryan McDaniel led the Soul (10-1) receivers with nine catches for 127 yards and two touchdowns. Marco Thomas added seven catches for 106 yards and three touchdowns. Shaun Kauleinamoku had four receptions for 98 yards, while Lonnie Outlaw chipped in with one reception for 8 yards.

Russell Athletic Offensive Player of the Game, Dan Raudabaugh finished the night by completing 20-of-26 passes for 323 yards, a season high of nine touchdowns and one interception. Adam Kennedy of New Orleans completed 27-of-42 passes for 270 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions.

Chris Duvalt led the VooDoo (2-9) receivers with eight receptions for 70-yards and no touchdowns, while Roger Jackson added 8 catches for 66 yards and one touchdown.

LaRico Stevenson led the team with 8.5 total tackles. James Romain had 8.0 total tackles and two interceptions.

After winning the toss, the Soul deferred and kicked off to the VooDoo to start the game. With 8:32 left in the first quarter, Adam Kennedy ran the ball in for a 1-yard touchdown. The Soul quickly reciprocated with a 39-yard touchdown from Dan Raudabaugh to Marco Thomas to tie up the score 7-7.

With 2:19 remaining in the first, Kennedy threw a 42-yard touchdown pass to Roger Jackson to put the VooDoo in the lead. The kick was blocked and recovered by James Romain. With a little over one minute left, the Soul answered when Raudabaugh found Lonnie Outlaw on a 8-yard play, which put the Soul in the lead 14-13 at the end of the first quarter.

The Soul scored within the first minute of the second quarter with a 37-yard touchdown pass from Raudabaugh to Shaun Kauleinamoku. The kick was no good. The VooDoo quickly answered when Kennedy completed a pass to Roosevelt Falls for a 25-yard touchdown tying up the score 20-20 with 9:38 seconds left in the second quarter.

The Soul didn’t leave the score tied for long; they immediately responded with a 25-yard touchdown from Raudabaugh to Ryan McDaniel. The VooDoo reciprocated with a 7-yard touchdown pass from Kennedy to Charles McClain, and again tied up the score 27-27 at the end of the first half.

The Soul started off the third quarter with a 5-yard touchdown pass from Raudabaugh to McDaniel that put the Soul in the lead 34-27. Romain intercepted a pass from Kennedy, and the Soul took the ball.

With a little over three minutes left in the quarter, Raudabaugh connected with Kauleinamoku for a 10-yard touchdown. The Soul was in the lead at the end of the third quarter 41-27.

The VooDoo came back within the first minute of the fourth quarter with a 35-yard touchdown pass from Kennedy to McClain. The Soul pushed back right away when Raudabaugh connected with Thomas for a 17-yard touchdown. With 11:41 left in the game, the Soul was in the lead 48-34. McClain responds with a 1-yard rush for a VooDoo touchdown.

With a little over five minutes left in the game, the Soul took control with another pass from Raudabaugh to Thomas for a 13-yard touchdown, which increased their lead 55-41. With one minute left, Romain made his second interception of the game. Raudabaugh made a 45-yard pass to Kauleinamoku for another touchdown that made the final score 62-41.

Next week, the Orlando Predators host the Soul for their third meeting of the season on Saturday, June 13 at the Amway Center. The game will kick off at 7 p.m.