The Chicago BruiseHers Blue Team knew it had its hands full in the semifinals of the inaugural women's division of the football event known as the Gay Bowl, played in late September in Denver.
The team had the fewest number of players (10) of any team and were facing Denver 303, a team that was undefeated and had outscored its opponents 106-40 in pool play.
Plus, the Chicagoans had to defeat the New York Dolls, which they did 25-21, and then only had about 10 minutes break before stepping back on the field against Denver 303—and Denver 303 was well rested, earning a bye into the semi as the No. 1 seed.
"[The] team was exhausted," said Kelly McMahon, coach for the BruiseHers Blue Team.
Denver 303 came out and scored twice, quickly.
However, the Chicagoans never surrendered, and the game was tied at the end of regulation time. The game was still tied after the first overtime time, and the second, and the third.
Denver 303 ultimately triumphed in the fourth overtime.
"We came to find out later that one of our team members had a broken finger that she played through, and another had a pretty seriously injured foot," McMahon said. "There were about three separate instances in overtime where we could have won depending on a referee's call. It was heartbreaking to lose that game, but we came out of it with our heads held high. Most of the players and spectators said it was one of the most exciting games they'd ever seen or been a part of. I agree."
The BruiseHers Blue Team regrouped and defeated the Denver 5280 team to claim third place.
"I think it was very impressive," finishing third, McMahon said. "The two Denver teams had actual tryouts and had been practicing together since May. Our team was basically put together on a volunteer basis, and we only had time for about seven practices and a few scrimmages before the Gay Bowl. We were so close to getting to the championship."
Veronica Soper, who lives in Evanston, said her Gay Bowl highlight was playing Denver 303. "The grueling four-overtime periods made me open my eyes to all the heart from both teams on that field," she said. "Both teams were competitive, very athletic, and never gave up.
"Coming from Chicago, the dense air from the high elevation made it hard for us to breathe. However, we gave it our all until the final play. I am so proud of my teammates who struggled through injuries and continued to play their hearts out."
Dee Allen, 39, of Chicago, said the BruiseHers Blue team did a "great" job in the Gay Bowl and the third-place finish was "an honor."
"We went into four overtimes with the team that ended up winning it all, Denver 303; that's something I will always remember," Allen said.
The BruiseHers Blue Team was awarded the Gay Bowl's Team Spirit Award.
"We represented Chicago in a great way, and I could not be more proud of the girls that I played with," Allen said.
McMahon, 35, who lives in Chicago's Jefferson Park neighborhood, is a construction project manager. She has been playing and coaching flag football for 18 years, dating back to inter-hall flag football as a freshman at the University of Notre Dame in 1994.
"I couldn't be more proud of the Chicago BruiseHers Blue team," she said. "To come in third place, [while] playing in our first-ever travel tournament together as a team was extremely impressive.
"I think our highlight was winning the Team Spirit Award. Not only did we have a great showing in terms of our third-place finish and some very exciting, hard-fought games, but we also captured the respect of all of the teams out there with our good sportsmanship and heart. I had many [officials] and other players come up to me and tell me that our team was one of the most fun and unified squads they'd ever seen."
Alisha Brennon offered one of the team's most memorable moments: a game-ending interception against the New York Dolls.
The Dolls were driving downfield, trailing by four with only about a minute remaining in regulation time.
"Their quarterback threw a ball into the end zone and Alisha snatched it away to end the game," McMahon said.
Sandra Urquiaga was the Chicago quarterback.
"One of my favorite moments [from the whole trip] was starting an impromptu flippy-cup game against the Denver 5280 team after we beat them in the third-place game." McMahon said. "We just used one of the folding water tables on the side of our field, sent the local players out to get a couple of cases [of beer], and played Denver 5280 versus Chicago Blue drinking games for a few hours once the tournament was over.
"It was great to bond with them and have some fun off the field."
Chicago won that game, too, McMahon said.
