Soul look to put a spell on VooDoo

Friday April 24, 2015

 Philadelphia Looks to Keep Winning Streak Alive in Week 5

PHILADELPHIA (April 26, 2015) – The Philadelphia Soul look to keep the winning streak and team chemistry alive. The Soul (4-0) will travel to New Orleans (1-3) in Week 5 to take on the VooDoo on Sunday, April 26 at 4 p.m. EST at the Smoothie King Center. The game can be streamed on ESPN3.

The last time the Soul kept an undefeated record going into Week 5 was the ArenaBowl-winning season of 2008. Led by Head Coach Bret Munsey and current Assistant Coach Phil Bogle, the team went 13-3 in the regular season with a strong beginning record, 9-0. QB Matt D’Orazio and WR Chris Jackson were two of the key players that helped lead the team to defeat the San Jose SaberCats. D’Orazio finished the season with 301-of-416 passes for 3,331 yards, 72 touchdowns, and only four interceptions. Jackson ended the season with 140 receptions for 1,692 yards and 49 touchdowns.

Week 9 of the 2014 season was the last time the Soul faced New Orleans. The Soul were victorious with a 79-60 win, making the series record 5-0. This past week the Soul kept the streak alive with a win against the Cleveland Gladiators. Marco Thomas led the offense with nine catches for 108 yards and three touchdowns. The highlight of the game was Tommy Frevert’s onside kick recovered by Xavier Boyce in the second quarter. Raudabaugh, who is off to an MVP season, completed the night with 27-of-36 passes for 262 yards, seven touchdowns and zero interceptions. Ryan McDaniel ended the night with seven catches for 73 yards and two touchdowns. Shaun Kauleinamoku added seven receptions for 60 yards, and one touchdown. As for defense, LaRico Stevenson lead the defense with six total tackles and four kick returns for 83 yards. With a solid offense and defense, the Soul are prepared to take on the VooDoo.

First and foremost, the Soul defensive backfield needs to focus on VooDoo WR Chris Duvalt. Already this season, Duvalt has a total of 26 catches for 286 yards and seven touchdowns. Duvalt has already surpassed what he completed last season. In 2014, Duvalt had 11 catches for 122 yards and two touchdowns.

The next match-up to look for is the Soul offensive line—Adam Smith, Shannon Breen, and Neal Tivis—up against VooDoo DE Wayne Dorsey. So far this season, the line has worked well together to protect Raudabaugh by allowing only two quarterback sacks. Dorsey has a total of six tackles and one break up this season.


The final match-up to definitely keep an eye out for is Soul WR Marco Thomas up against the VooDoo secondary. So far this season Thomas has 44 catches for 481 yards and nine touchdowns and is an early Offensive player of the Year candidate. The VooDoo defensive backs have recorded 61.5 tackles, two interceptions for 66 yards, and 13 break-ups amongst them.

The Soul will return home against the Portland Thunder in Week 6 on Saturday, May 2 at 6 p.m. ET on the Rothman Field at the Wells Fargo Center.

ABOUT PHILADELPHIA SOUL

The Philadelphia Soul are entering their 10th Anniversary Season. Season and Group tickets for the Soul’s upcoming 2015 season are on sale now. For 2015 season tickets, contact the Soul sales department at (215) 253-4900 ext. 3, or request contact from a representative by filling out the form on www.philadelphiasoul.com. Follow the Soul on Facebook at facebook.com/soul and Twitter at twitter.com/soulfootball.