Liberty Belles Survive Scare From Speed  - Advance to Conference Championship

PHILADELPHIA: For the first 56:52 of their WFA playoff game it looked as if the
Northeast Division Champions, Philadelphia Liberty Belles, and the Wild Card
Champion, Indiana Speed, were evenly matched, but with one play the momentum shifted from the Speed to the Belles and the end result was the Belles leaving the field with their perfect record intact and a 19-9 victory.

The Speed would get on the board first when Dana Miller connected with Virginia
Hicks for a 44-yard touchdown. The extra point would be no good giving the Speed a 6-0 lead.

The Belles would respond behind the running of Danika "D Train" Hopkins and Roach. Roach would show her athleticism as she cut back across the field for a 6-yard touchdown. Hibbs would add the extra point giving the Belles the 7-6 lead. Hopkins would finish the game with 67 yards on 16 carries while Roach would finish with 121 yards.

The Speed had one more opportunity to take the lead at the half but Diggle's attempt at a 26-yard field goal would be block by Sheemea Carr preserving the 7-6 halftime lead for the Belles.

In the third quarter the Belles' offense spent plenty of time on the field as the
Speed only ran seven plays. The Belles however would fail to capitalize. Miller
would connect with Kiva Thomas for a 56-yard gain putting the Speed at the Belles 32 yard line. Four plays later Molly McAfee would nail a 37-yard field goal giving the
Speed the 9-7 lead.

Sitting with a 9-7 lead and sustaining a drive down to the Belles 13 yard line, the
visiting Speed looked poised to put the game out of reach for the Belles, but Erika
Johnson fumbled the ball on the Belles 7 yard line. Once the pile was unraveled,
Jeanette Hibbs came up with the ball for the Belles. "I didn't even see the ball
come out I turned around and the ball was the air, I dove over a girl to get it" is
what Hibbs would say about the fumble recovery.  Belles' Head Coach Bill Sytsma said "I was thinking that was the game right there, I knew if we got it we had a shot."
On the ensuing Belles' drive it looked as if the Speed's tough defense had one final
stop in them forcing the Belles' to a fourth and two from their own 28. With such a
critical moment the Belles turned the ball to their playmaker RB Marirose Roach who
found a hole in the Speed's defense then let her speed do the rest as she raced
72-yards for the touchdown. The two-point conversion would fail giving the Belles
the 13-9 lead.

On the ensuing drive the Speed made it down to the Belles 49-yard line when Dana
Miller would be intercepted by Marica Stinney who would race 49 yards the other way for the touchdown giving the Belles a 19-9 lead.

Roach would ensure the victory on the ensuing drive when she intercepted Miller.
Miller would finish the game with 157 yards on 5 of 17 passing 1 TD and 3 Ints.
 
Up next for the Liberty Belles is the National Conference Championship against the
Western Michigan Mayhem who defeated the Columbus Comets Saturday night 41-12. The
Belles-Mayhem kickoff is schedule for July 25 in Michigan.

-Willie McGonigle