New England Intensity Wins its 2008 Season Opener
[Right: Jojo's got the Mojo. Jojo Gauthier rushed for 130 yards and 3 TDs, forced and returned a fumble for a 51-yard TD, had 4 tackles, 1 INT and 1 blocked punt to win her Game Day MVP honors and help Intensity win its season opener 37-6.]
The New England Intensity of the Independent Women's Football League (IWFL) began their 2008 campaign as the visiting team versus the Southern Maine Rebels with a 7:30 pm kickoff on Saturday, April 19th. What began as an unseasonably warm and sunny day turned into an unseasonably cold night as the daytime highs of the mid-to-upper 70's gave way to an equally clear night with the mercury dipping below freezing.
If the climate negatively impacted the Intensity, you would not have known it by watching the game, as the visitors thoroughly outplayed their opponents en route to a 37-6 road victory to open the season. In particular, the multi-headed monster that was New England's running attack (with three players rushing for over 50 yards each) and stifling defense (surrendering only 69 yards on 29 carries on the ground and 0 yards through the air) gave cause for cautious optimism as the season moves along. It should also be noted that the effective play of both the offensive and defensive lines were instrumental in the success enjoyed by the Intensity "O" and "D".
A short kickoff by Southern Maine gave the Intensity very good field position (their own 43) to begin the game. First game jitters were no-doubt the culprit that caused the rather underwhelming first offensive series of the year for the visitors--two short rushes, a false start penalty and an incomplete pass?that ultimately led to a punt. Kicker/new Punter Michelle Hicks (a league All-Star last season) managed a 29-yard punt in the cold evening air that was well-covered as Center Maia Goodall (who finished the day with 3 tackle assists?not bad for her first game playing defense in her 3 year career with the Intensity) and WR/DB Tricia Donovan converged to ensure the receiving team got no positive return yardage.
A nice solo tackle-for-loss by Captain Jennifer 'Coco' Edwards following a false start on the previous play had the Rebels staring at a 2nd and 16. Maine was not be discouraged; however, ripping off runs of 15 and 5 yards to earn a first down. Despite some solid play by Captain Anita Barnes (who finished the day with 2 solo tackles and 5 tackle assists) including a solo tackle for a loss, the Rebels plugged away and were soon 1st and 10 at the New England 49. Enter eventual Game Day MVP DB/RB/LB Jojo Gauthier . . . who forced and recovered a fumble and ran it 51 yards for a touchdown (the first of 4 for her) to put The Intensity up 6-0 with just under 7 minutes left to play in the 1st quarter. The ensuing XPA was no good.
Shaking off the missed extra point attempt, Michelle Hicks cranked out a 40 yard kickoff that was fairly well-covered giving the home team average starting field position at best.
New England's "Swiss Miss", Suzanne Dubey (pronounced 'Dew-Bay') began her reign of terror from the left DE position, ringing up her first of three sacks (totaling 25 yards lost for Southern Maine) mid-way through this 3-and-out for the Rebels. LB/FB Kate Miechkowski (pronounced 'Mitch-Kow-Skee', who ended up with 1 solo tackle, 4 assists before severe cramps greatly reduced her ability to play) who started her first game in an Intensity uniform-she previously played in Connecticut--had a key stop when it appeared the Maine RB might break free for a first down.
A short punt but respectable return left the visitors with 1st and 10 on the Maine 45. Behind solid blocking up front by the ?O-Line', rookie RB/DB Lisa Vincent and Gauthier (who is also the all-time franchise leader in solo tackles) combined for almost 40 yards rushing on 4 plays setting up RB/LB and Captain Steph Samuelson for a 3-yard TD run to put New England up 12-0. Incidentally, Steph, the franchise all-time leader in rushing yards, tied the franchise all-time records for total touchdowns and rushing touchdowns, and passed teammate Tricia Donovan for 2nd all-time in points scored.
A relatively short kickoff was somewhat offset by good coverage by Barnes and OL/DL PJ O'Brien?also playing in her first game in an Intensity uniform--who stuffed the returner almost immediately after she caught the ball. Another sack by Dubey, and a solid solo tackle by DT/OL Lesley Lopes for no gain as the 1st quarter ended forced the Rebels to open the 2nd with a punt that scooted out of bounds at the Intensity 35-yard line.
A tough run by Samuelson, a quick pass from QB Bridget Cambria to Donovan, and a 51 yard TD scamper by Gauthier put New England up 18-0 early in the 2nd quarter.
Another 40 yard kickoff by Hicks and another good job of down field coverage (no yards on the return) gave the home team the ball with 70 yards of Intensity defense to deal with. Miechkowski and DL/OL Torrance Brown (1 solo, 5 assists), a solo tackle followed by a sack by Dubey and the Rebels were lining up to punt yet again. This time Donovan burned them for 29 yards (she finished with 60 total yards on 3 punt returns and 49 yards on 3 catches for the game) to put NE on the Maine 16. A 12-yard run by Samuelson (who finished the day with 51 yards on 9 carries, had several great blocks downfield for her teammates, and had 2 tackle assists to her credit as well) had New England knocking on the door again. A fumbled exchange and subsequent recovery by Southern Maine temporarily kept the Rebels within hailing distance.
The defense held strong behind solo tackles by LB/OL Stacey Martin, and T Brown, and another Miechkowski/ Brown combination forcing the hosts to punt for the fifth time of the half. Behind a great push from up front, stand-out Jojo Gauthier blocked the punt and Maia Goodall caught it, rumbling all the way down to the 2 yard line where, two plays later, Gauthier run in her 3rd TD of the day to really start to put this one ?on ice' as New England was now up 24-0 with less than 5 minutes to play in the 2nd.
Realizing that the ground game was getting them nowhere (and with time starting to become more and more of an issue), Maine changed their approach on offense and came out passing. The problem with that [from Maine's perspective, that is] was that the Intensity defense was up to the task. Three incomplete passes, two of which Donovan defended (as they wanted no part of 5'9" DB/LB/WR Lisa Close who had just subbed in on the other side of the defensive backfield) led to the 6th punt of the first half for the home team.
The next offensive series for New England was a very forgettable one. Two runs for negative yards, a false start and a QB sack made it clear that the Rebels would not go quietly into the night. A short punt by Hicks was covered beautifully by Close, stopping the Maine returner for zero yards.
Just as it looked like Southern Maine would generate a little momentum of their own, Gauthier steps in to drive another nail in their coffin?this time an interception on a first down pass attempt that would bring the Intensity offense back on the field at the Maine 44. Three plays later, on 3rd and 15, Gauthier would manufacture 20 yards on a largely-broken play to keep the chains moving. Two plays after that, Cambria, the beneficiary of great pass blocking by her line, connected with Donovan for a 25-yd touchdown strike. This is of significance on two levels: First, and most importantly, it put NE up 30-0 with one second left in the first half. Second, it moved Tricia into a three-way tie for all-time TDs scored (this 'club' just joined by Samuelson about 30 minutes earlier) and brought her into sole possession of the team's all-time scoring lead. As an aside, Donovan, with her first catch of the night earlier on, jumped into first place on the all-time receiving yards list.
In a bizarre kickoff, Hicks accidentally drilled one of the Maine front five right in the numbers so hard it was almost recovered by the Intensity as it bounced back towards the kicking team. Time expired though, and the teams went into halftime with the score 30-0 New England.
Maine received the ball to open the 3rd quarter knowing they all but had to put some points up on the board if they had any aspirations at making this game once-again close. Rookie DB/WR Dianna Ploss, playing with a broken toe, was in on two tackles of this series, and Jojo Gauthier (1 solo tackle, and a team-high 6 assists) again provided the finishing blow on a 4th and 2 by stopping the Maine ball carrier for a 7 yard loss and a resultant turnover on downs.
A fumble by Cambria was recovered by Martin to keep the possession and the drive alive. An 18 yard run by Samuelson erased the ill-effects of another false start penalty. A second fumble of the series was recovered by Maine, however, and their offense returned to the field just shy of their 40 yard line.
A tough run on first down went for 9 yards, and could have been for a lot more had not Martin and OL/DL/TE Captain Kim Herrig bring her down before she got too deep into the defensive secondary. Maine, still quite game, put together an 8 play drive that took hard nosed tackling by Edwards (2 solo, 5 assists) plugging up the run and on a pass well-defended by DB Lizz Vogel, Vincent (who also had 3 tackle assists) was able to step in an make an interception which she returned for 43 yards to the Rebel 27. Gauthier ran for her 4th TD of the game (and to think this was her first game of her 5 year career with the Intensity playing a significant role on offense) on the next play?she would finish the day with 130 yards on the ground and a 13.0 yard per carry average).
Maine capitalized on a coverage breakdown on the kickoff and dashed the hopes of a shutout for New England with a 69 kickoff return for a touchdown. Gauthier, Brown and Dubey stuffed the 2 point conversion attempt to keep the score 37-6 with 2:21 left in the 3rd.
New England would turn the ball over on downs after a penalty and sack, but the defense bailed them out with two incomplete passes (one defended by Martin) and a short run that led to yet another punt. Maine had the sense to punt away from Donovan by hitting it out of bounds around the Intensity 33. Lisa Vincent showcased her RB skills on what would be the last possession of the game for either team, rattling off runs of 11, 13 and 17 yards keeping the chains and clock moving. She would finish the day with 80 yards on 10 carries. Cambria took a knee on the next two plays to run out the clock.
In all, the offense?with 248 yards on the ground--played pretty well, especially when considering the number of players new to the team or, at least new to positions they found themselves playing on Saturday. Cambria, while not having had the most prolific passing day in team history, had one of the most efficient (3 for 5 for 49 yards, 2 first down passes, one TD, no INTs, and no long sacks for loss).
Many reserve players such as RB/BD Stacey DeLuca, RB/LB Andrea Covelli, DB/RB Amanda Velasquez, OL/DL Pam Curtis, OL/DL Kim Kisiel all significantly contributed to a very productive outing. OL/DL Nancy O'Loughlin stood out for her spirited and effective play at guard.
The defense, giving up fewer than 3 yards per rush and no yards in the air, performed admirably. Furthermore, two interceptions, one fumble recovery and very aggressive play by the line made it a long and frustrating evening for Southern Maine.
Special teams had its ups and downs, with good punt returning, a few good kickoffs and accompanying coverage on one hand; but 1 for 6 on extra points, giving up a kickoff return for a touchdown and mediocre punting on the other.
A sincere thanks goes out to the Southern Maine Rebels for putting up a hard (but not dirty fight), especially in light of the numerous challenges and organizational distractions they have had to overcome of late.
The coaching staff was pleased with the win, the effort and many of the things they saw from rookies and veterans alike. Their focus has now shifted to preparing the team for what promises to be a good battle with the division-leading Montreal Blitz, who, at 2-0 (coming off a road win versus the Manchester Freedom?who were picked by many to win the division this season), will pose a good test for the Intensity squad. The Blitz is an athletic team that likes to throw the ball on offense but they, like all teams, are not perfect. They defeated the Intensity last season in Montreal 28-21 in a back and forth shootout.
The Intensity will host the Montreal Blitz next Saturday, April 26th, as their home opener at the familiar confines of Joseph P. Hanlon Field in Medway, Massachusetts. Come cheer on the Intensity in what promises to be quite a rematch. Kickoff is at 5pm, and admission is only $10.00 (children under 12 are free) with special group rates available. First-rate concessions are available and it is fun, family-friendly atmosphere.
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The New England Intensity is the leading women's professional football franchise in the region. For more information, visit www.newenglandintensity.com. | 
