The Chicago Force continued its pursuit of perfection and a spot in the playoffs May 21 with a 55-24 road win over the St. Louis Slam.
The Force moves to 6-0 with its second win this spring over the Slam, anchored by 538 yards of total offense.
Quarterback Sami Grisafe threw for 384 yards and four touchdowns, often connecting with receivers Jeanette Gray and Albi Zhubi, who each had two TD receptions.
"Our offense played extremely well; everyone contributed, particularly Sami, Gray and Albi. And of course [running back Jessica] Springer, too. She had some devastating blocks and also ran the ball really well on limited carries," said Force owner and general manager Linda Bache.
Chicago built a 13-0 first quarter lead before the Slam cut the score to 13-7.
Spring rushed for a 62-yard touchdown as the Force built a 19-7 edge, but the Slam answered in the second quarter, cutting the score to 19-14.
The Force led 41-17 at halftime and Springer ultimately ended the game with 127 yards rushing on seven carries, three receptions for 25 yards, and three touchdowns.
The Force defense was led by linebacker Darcy Leslie (12 tackles) and Kim Marks (10). Safety Martha Dantuma had five tackles and also knocked down four passes.
"Our defense played well at times, but also struggled during certain drives," Bache said. "Darcy Leslie and Kim Marks played particularly well, but overall we gave up more yards than we should have."
The Force defense had four tackles for a loss and two sacks—one by Kim Marks and one by Amanda Malsch.
"After playing poorly in last week's game [against the West Michigan Mayhem, though winning,] it was important for us to come out firing on all cylinders. This was an excellent performance for us," said Chicago head Coach John Konecki.
The Force will be on the road for the final two games of the regular-season: June 11 at the West Michigan Mayhem, and then June 18 at the Indianapolis Crash.
The first round of playoffs start June 25.
