McGlinn vs. Farley
McGlinn hopes to bounce back from its 13-7 loss to Howard and start anew against Farley tonight.
"We hope to come out strong," Shamrocks senior captain Taryn Lewis said. "It was a tough loss on Sunday, but we're still hoping to come out with a win against Farley."
Lewis saw a few bright spots in the loss, including the performances of freshman Kathleen Stanley and junior quarterback Sarah deGroot.
Farley presents a tough test for the Shamrocks offense. Finest junior captain Jenny Rolfs pointed to the defense as one of the strongest parts of her team.
"We have a lot of returning players," Rolfs said. "We're pretty confident in our team this year."
Farley, which has yet to play this season, plans to beat the Shamrocks by running simple plays and protecting its defense. The Finest hope to begin a run to the playoffs and repeat last year's trip to the semifinals, the team's best-ever finish.
As the Finest begin a season they hope will end in Notre Dame Stadium, the Shamrocks look for redemption.
"We're just looking to be competitive in a really tough league," Lewis said. "We'll see."
The two teams will meet at 9 p.m. at Riehle Field.
Pasquerilla East vs. Howard
Pasquerilla East has a chance to redeem itself against a talented Howard team tonight at 7 p.m.
While the Pyros are coming off a 13-7 loss to Walsh, Ducks freshman captain Mary Jenkins said her team will try to build on the momentum it gained in a 13-7 victory over McGlinn Sunday.
"I was surprised at our last game," Jenkins said. "We played really well, considering our only practice was 45 minutes before kickoff."
She also made note of Howard's success in spreading the field.
Against Farley, Howard junior Christina Sensabaugh helped run an effective offense, and junior Kate Sylvia played well on both sides of the ball. Sophomore Priscilla Longoria, a quick running back, energized the running game. Freshman quarterback Kayla Bishop scored two touchdowns, one rushing and one passing.
"Kayla is a driving force in the huddle. She's very composed for a freshman," Jenkins said. "Charlie Weis can ask Kayla if he's looking for the next quarterback - with her, our offense isn't too shabby, and if I remember right, Howard has scored more touchdowns than Notre Dame."
Pasquerilla East's captain, junior Megan Becker, could not be reached for comment.
Walsh vs. Cavanaugh
Both Cavanaugh and Walsh have high hopes going into tonight's 8 p.m. game at Riehle Field.
The Chaos hope they can rebound from a disappointing 2006 campaign. Senior captain Tarah Brown is confident about her team's chances this year.
"[Our goal is] to go to the stadium and win the whole thing," Brown said. "We were disappointed with last season and want to avenge ourselves. We're looking a lot better so far."
Cavanaugh has a number of experienced players returning from last year's squad, including junior starting quarterback Katie Dunn. Almost every starting defender, along with the receiving corps, is an upperclassman.
The Chaos know what they have to do to defeat their arch-rival.
"[Walsh] is usually pretty intense. We just have to get out there and play hard at the very beginning," Brown said. "We just have to play hard and fast and do what we've been practicing."
The Wild Women, meanwhile, will look to build on Sunday's 13-7 win against Pasquerilla East.
"Our offense was really connecting well with one another, and our defense was really doing everything to stop them," senior captain Marie Brenner said. "We still have a lot of stuff to implement, but we really want to build on what we did [on Sunday]."
The key to the Walsh offense is senior quarterback Mary Sullivan, who had one rushing and one passing touchdown against Pasquerilla East. Sierra Smith, Sullivan's favorite target on Sunday, will likely have another big game at receiver for the Wild Women.
The defense, which contributed two interceptions in the first game, also looks to continue its dominance and maintain the momentum gained from the first win.
"We just need to keep up the enthusiasm," Brenner said. "The offense and defense need to keep doing what they've been doing."
Even though she is confident, however, Brenner is not underestimating Cavanaugh.
"They have great athletes and work together really well," she said. "They're a very similar team to us."
