When Pasquerilla West meets Breen-Phillips tonight, Weasel receiver Maureen Spring expects emotions to run high for both teams.
"Both teams have three wins and are battling for a playoff spot," she said. "We're coming off a good win, and hopefully we'll capture another one."
Babes captain Jaimie Feltault agrees on the analysis, but hopes for a different outcome.
"It's a crucial game," she said. "We're looking to rebound from our loss [on Sunday to Cavanaugh] and take home a strong win to end the regular season."
As for post-season possibilities, Feltault knows that there is slim chance of Breen-Phillips making the round of eight without a victory tonight.
"It would be helpful to just win tomorrow so we don't have to worry about that possibility," Feltault said.
At 3-2, Breen-Phillips is currently fourth in the league, closely trailing Pasquerilla West's 3-1-1 record for third place.
Coming off a 7-0 win Sunday against McGlinn, Pasquerilla West hopes to capitalize on its momentum and secure the third seed in the Women's Blue League.
"We executed very well on offense and our defense made two important stops Sunday," Spring said.
Even if Pasquerilla West loses, the Weasels may be able to sneak in if the chips fall in their favor.
Although the team will know whether it needs a win to make the playoffs by the beginning of the game, the Weasels want to stay in control their own destiny.
"We'd like to get that No. 3 seed on our own," Spring said.
That will be a tall task for the Weasels, as they face a Breen-Phillips team whose only two losses have come against unbeaten opponents.
While Sunday's 21-point defeat stings, Feltault credits the point differential to an excellent Cavanaugh team, not to a poor performance.
"We played a great game," she said, "but they are an excellent team."
The Babes expect to balance the running and passing games to keep the Weasels off-balance.
Quarterback Heather Van Hoegarden for the Weasels will have to continue her stellar play to lead Pasquerilla West to victory.
First snap is at 9:00 p.m. at Riehle West Field.
Cavanaugh vs.
Pasquerilla East
Only one game remains on the schedule for the women of Cavanaugh and Pasquerilla East; only one more opportunity to show something before the regular season ends. With the playoffs looming, this rivalry game is all about who has shown the most improvement over the course of the regular season.
"In previous years [Cavanaugh] has peaked at the wrong point in the season, but right now is a really good time for us to be hitting our stride," Chaos captain Sara Gilloon said.
Coming into Tuesday's game against Pasquerilla East, a confident Cavanaugh boasts an undefeated 4-0-1 record, with a shutout in last Sunday's game against Breen Phillips. Relying on a team mentality, the Cavanaugh defensive squad has been strong all year, and is looking for another shutout against the rival Pyros.
On the opposite end of the spectrum are the Pyros, who have struggled all season. Already having been shutout multiple times this season, the Pyros offense is looking to turn up the intensity, and put some points on the board, for this final game of the season.
Even though they have already secured a spot in the playoffs, Cavanaugh refuses to look past Pasquerilla East. Vowing to play the game like any other, the Chaos will hold nothing back in their quest to reach the stadium.
On the offensive side of the ball, junior quarterback Lisa Ruffer has been the key to Cavanaugh's success all year.
"She is not only very accurate, but also one of the fastest players in the league," Gilloon said of Ruffer.
It will be up to the Pasquerilla East defense to try and shut down Ruffer, but this may prove to be too tough of a task for the Pyros. Double-digit loses have plagued the Pyros all season, but they are still looking to finish the season on a high note.
With Ruffer running the show, and against a defense that has played poorly against the pass this season, the Cavanaugh receivers will look to have a big game.
"We have really been working on our pass-catching in practice," Gilloon said.
While this may not look like much of a contest on paper, the women of Pasquerilla East know that games are not played on paper, and are looking to play the role of spoiler Tuesday night at Riehle West.
McGlinn vs. Farley
With both teams going into their final game knowing that the playoffs are virtually out of reach, the McGlinn Shamrocks and Farley's Finest will each be playing for the same thing - pride.
Ending the season on a good note is certainly forefront in the minds of each team. Farley's Finest and the McGlinn Shamrocks will wrap up their respective seasons tonight at 7 p.m. on the Riehle West fields.
Although the win column may look bleak for both teams, each team's schedule could rival any other in degree of difficulty. Both Farley and McGlinn have lost once each to Breen-Phillips, Walsh, and Cavanaugh; all three of those teams have recently resided in the top five.
The story of both teams' struggles lies in inconsistency and meager offenses.
"Our offense has struggled ... it is just not clicking right now," Farley captain Angelina Zehrbach said. "We get it down there but we can't punch it in."
Despite wanting to finish strong, the Finest will not be taking the game too seriously, as this will be the last time all the seniors will be able to play with each other. Do not be too surprised to see new plays and players playing new positions for the first time.
"We are looking to go out there and have a good time," Zehrbach said. "Our seniors are looking to milk it, and we are going to get a little crazy. It's going to be backyard football, and we are just going to have fun."
Expect McGlinn to have a similar mindset heading into their final game. Even so, McGlinn captain Liz Maher will undoubtedly have her team revved up to get one more win. The one thing this game definitely will not lack is excitement.
