It wasn't pretty, and it certainly was painful for at least one member of the Chicago Force, but the 2013 National Champions took their first step at home toward repeating as the top team in the Women's Football Alliance ( WFA ) on Saturday night, April 12.
The Force defeated the Indy Crash 48-6 at Evanston Township High School, improving to 2-0 on the season, and have now outscored their first two opponents 118-6.
"It was rough," Darcy Leslie said. "We played OK, but still have a lot of work to do, lots of things we need to improve."
Leslie finished the game with 10 tackles and a sack, earning the Game Day Defensive MVP Award, presented by Spin Nightclub.
Jeanette Gray grabbed the Game Day Offensive MVP Award from Spin after her four touchdown performance, highlighted by a 65-yard kickoff return late in the fourth quarter. Gray caught eight passes for 94 yards, ran two 1-yard touchdowns, and crossed the goal line after a 20-yard shuffle pass from quarterback Sami Grisafe.
"We didn't lose our cool, which good," Darcy said after the physical, penalty-filled game that included a Crash player getting ejected in the second half following a personal foul.
Leslie had a 10-yard touchdown run at 3:04 of the first quarter and the Force led 16-0 at halftime. Chicago built a 40-0 lead before the Crash scored on a 35-yard rushing play.
"We were so upset," they scored, Leslie said.
Grisafe had two 1-yard TD runs herself, both in the second half.
"We've played better," said Chicago's Brandy Hatcher, who had a tooth pushed through her lower lip on the first play of the game and didn't return to action until the second quarter.
"J-Gray made some great plays out of nothing, and our special teams [unit] played pretty well."
The Force play on the road April 19 against the D.C. Divas, and then face Western Michigan at home on April 26, with game time set for 7 p.m.
