Farley's Finest seek their first victory of the season as they take on Howard at 7 p.m. tonight at Riehle West Field.
Farley has faced a tough schedule early on in the season, playing both teams from last year's Interhall championship game - Pangborn and Pasquerilla West - in its opening matchups.
In its first game, Farley lost a 6-0 heartbreaker to the Phoxes in a defensive battle. The following Sunday, the Finest were plagued by penalties and lost 20-0 against a tough Purple Weasel defense.
Despite the rocky start, Farley captain Kim Crehan has been able to take something positive away from the first couple games.
"The first two games helped us realize what we need to improve on, and we have had a couple practices this week to prepare," she said.
The Ducks say they have have improved after their 0-5-1 record last year.
In its opening game, Howard managed to shut out Lewis on its way to a 6-0 victory. The Ducks realized they needed to spark their offense if they wanted to be successful this season. But despite its best efforts, Howard was unable to contain the quick Pangborn offense Sunday. The disappointing 20-6 result gave the Ducks their first loss of the season.
That won't satisfy the Ducks this week.
"We have mostly been working on our offense in practice and trying to be more consistent in terms of our attack," Howard captain Catherine Krug said.
Breen-Phillips vs. Lewis
Lewis hopes to reap the benefits of weeks of intense practice when it takes on Breen-Phillips tonight at 8 p.m. at Riehle West Fields.
Last year Lewis was one of the most dominant teams in Interhall, entering the playoffs as a No. 3 seed. This season the team says it has played well, but the Chicks haven't always seen the results they've hoped for.
"Although the first couple games have been tough, they have been good learning experiences," Chicks captain Mia De La Rosa said. "Lewis is ready to come out and play this weekend."
The Chicks lost a 6-0, season-opening heartbreaker to Howard.
The following week, Lewis took on McGlinn, falling to the Shamrocks 6-0 - a team that Breen-Phillips defeated 25-6 last Thursday.
The Babes' season got off to a rough start after facing several of Interhall's top squads. The Babes fell to last year's champions - Pasquerilla West - in their first game 20-0, the BP defense unable to stop the quick Purple Weasel offense.
But last week, the Babes started to turn things around. The offense used a short-pass strategy to put 25 points on the board against McGlinn, while the defense easily handled the Shamrocks' offense.
Breen-Phillips has a young squad this year, forcing practices to focus on teaching the freshmen the unique game of women's interhall football.
"We have a young group this year," said captain Megan Olhenforst.
"But from our practice we have started to learn how to come together to get the job done."
McGlinn vs. Pangborn
With a young team filled with freshmen, McGlinn has used its practice time to teach its young players the responsibilities for their new positions.
"We have gotten through their heads what their jobs are," McGlinn captain Madeline Boyer said.
The Shamrocks hope this extra practice will help them rebound from a tough 25-6 loss to Breen-Phillips Sunday when they play Pangborn tonight at 9 p.m. on Riehle Field.
"We have worked on running routes and teaching [the freshmen] so they know their jobs more clearly," Boyer said.
Pangborn has good reason to be confident stepping onto the field tonight. The Phoxes' 20-6 win over Howard on Sunday displayed an impressive defensive performance, including five interceptions by Meghan Bescher and a late-starting but potent offensive attack also led by Bescher.
"We have worked on running through the offense in practice in hopes of getting off to a better start than the first half of the last game," Phox captain Katie Riemersma said.
Pangborn does not plan to change much of its defensive strategy.
The Phoxes hope to continue putting pressure on the opposing offense - a plan that has been effective so far this season.
But with the Shamrocks working to improve their own defense, the Phoxes will have to work harder to find the seams against McGlinn.
The inexperienced McGlinn offense has also been practicing hard this week in preparation for Bescher's uncanny knack for the interception.
"I think the offense is more in tune with each other," Boyer said. "We [want] to start off with a bang and give Pangborn a little unexpected competition."