By Larry Snyder

Columbus, Ohio – The Pittsburgh Passion (3-1-0) unleashed 21 points in the second quarter on Saturday, May 14, as they defeated the Columbus Chaos (0-4-0) 35-6 at Whitehall Yearling High School. It was the first meeting between these Women’s Football Alliance squads.

Closing out the first quarter leading 7-0, Pittsburgh moved the ball from their 38-yard line on five plays to the Columbus 36. After switching ends of the field to begin the second, Passion quarterback, Alyssa George took the snap and tossed the ball to Marcelina Chavez in the backfield, who hit Jana Meister with a pass at the six-yard line. The next play saw George throw the ball to Meister, going over the middle in the end zone for the score at 13:19. Brandy Polinick was good on the extra-point attempt.

Polinick was not finished in the second as she capped off a seven-play drive with a one-yard run between the right guard and tackle at 7:58 for the touchdown. The second-year player added the extra point despite the Chaos defense being off-sides.

Pittsburgh’s final possession of the second quarter saw the Black and Gold move the ball downfield on seven plays. George entered the end zone from two yards out to put another touchdown on the score sheet at 1:19. Polinick delivered the extra point, and the Passion led 28-0 at halftime.

Offensive line coaches Zack Thrasher, and Aditya Sharma had their unit working well all evening. Sophia Pagan, Emalee Tunney, Jacqueline Cook, Kimberly Zubovic, and Kaitlain Niedermeyer were strong in executing running and passing plays against the Chaos defense.

Two RMU Colonial alumni led the Passion defense against Columbus. A women’s rowing standout, Hannah Daman, contributed 11 tackles, while Devon Peace, a track and field long jumper, delivered eight stops. Rookie defensive back Jasmin Jones had five tackles and a third-quarter interception, and Rebecca Ehrgood added a pass breakup and an interception of her own in the fourth.

From The Women’s Football Alliance YouTube Channel – WFA 2022 Season Promo…

After a turnover on downs at the Pittsburgh 48-yard line in the fourth, Columbus quarterback DeAsha Talley put together an 11-play scoring drive by keeping the ball on the ground. Ovian Whitlow-Moore and Pasha Johnson-Rivers took turns grinding out yardage against the Black and Gold defense.

With the Chaos on the one-yard line, Nita Johnson pushed the ball across for the touchdown at 1:04. A high snap on the two-point conversion attempt left the score 35-6. Followers of the Passion can watch a replay of the victory over Columbus on the Chaos Game Day link.

NEXT UP: It is time to fire up the grills for the tailgate as the Women of Steel return to Joe P. DeMichela Stadium Saturday, May 21, for a clash with the Detroit Venom (3-2-0). The rematch starts at 6:00 p.m. Daman and the rest of the team honor Moms and Cancer Survivors with a Pink Game promotion this weekend. You can find seats for Passion home games online or buy them at the gate.