Valor Fall to Soul in Game 1 of Semifinal Series
Sunday July 28, 2019
Nelson throws four touchdowns as Philadelphia takes advantage into next weekend’s Game 2
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The two-seed Washington Valor were defeated, 69-33, by the three-seed Philadelphia Soul in Game 1 of their semifinal series Sunday afternoon at Capital One Arena. Valor quarterback Arvell Nelson completed 22-39 passes for 230 yards and four touchdowns. Soul quarterback Dan Raudabaugh threw for 284 yards and six touchdowns and was named the game’s Most Valuable Player.
Game 2 of Washington’s semifinal series against Philadelphia will be played next Sunday, August 4 at 4 p.m. at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pa. The Soul will enter Game 2 with a 36-point advantage in the series’ aggregate scoring. The team with the highest aggregate score after Game 2 will advance to ArenaBowl 32.
VALOR NOTES & QUOTES
- Washington’s loss marked the Valor’s first defeat against the Soul this season. Washington entered the game 2-0 against Philadelphia, winning by a combined 14 points in the pair of regular season matchups.
- Valor wide receiver Douglas McNeil III caught five passes for 39 yards and touchdown and has now caught a touchdown in all five postseason games he has played in. McNeil III caught 16 passes for 209 yards and seven touchdowns in the 2018 postseason.
- Valor defensive back Marrio Norman recorded two tackles and his first-career playoff interception.
- Valor wideout Reggie Gray, who entered the game with career playoff totals of 105 receptions, 1,175 receiving yards and 31 receiving touchdowns, leading the team in each category, caught four passes for 41 yards and a team-leading two touchdowns.
- Valor wideout Josh Reese set career playoff highs in reception (8) and receiving yards (80).
VALOR HEAD COACH BENJI MCDOWELL
On the game:
"We just have to go in and do everything that we didn't do today. We shot ourselves in the foot in as many ways as we could have. It cost us. When you are in these types of games, a 14-point loss turns into a 30-plus-point loss. You can’t fault (Philadelphia) or be mad at them because that is just the way it is [with aggregate scoring]. But if they can put it up there, we are going to have to put it up there next week."
On preparing for next week:
"It's just about us going in and putting our foot down and moving forward…Things happen, but you have to fight. We dropped our head a couple of times and it cost us."
VALOR WIDE RECEIVER JOSH REESE
On preparing for next week:
"First and foremost, we have to make up those points. We just have to get back to the drawing board. We came out today and did not play like ourselves at all. We didn’t play like that this all season, so I don't think we will come out and play like that next game."
On what Washington has to do in Game 2:
"First, we have to execute. Whenever we are on the field, we have to execute. We can’t put the defense in those situations. We have to score every time.”
ABOUT THE WASHINGTON VALOR
The AFL’s Washington Valor, 2018 ArenaBowl Champions, are owned and operated by Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which is one of the largest integrated sports and entertainment companies in the country with one of the most diverse partnership groups in all of sports. MSE owns and operates seven professional sports teams: the Valor, AFL’s Baltimore Brigade, NBA's Washington Wizards, NBA G League’s Capital City Go-Go, NBA 2K League’s Wizards District Gaming, WNBA’s Washington Mystics and the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Champion Washington Capitals. Monumental Sports & Entertainment is also co-owner of aXiomatic, which has controlling interest in global esports franchise Team Liquid, and owns and operates Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. Monumental Sports & Entertainment also manages MedStar Capitals Iceplex, the state-of-the-art training facility for the Capitals and EagleBank Arena on George Mason University's campus. In conjunction with the District of Columbia and Events DC, MSE is a partner in a new sports and entertainment facility in Southeast DC on the St. Elizabeth’s East campus that opened in September 2018.
