MACHINE VS. SLAM – 6/6/09

Minnesota Machine vs. St. Louis SLAM – June 6th, 2009
by Eric Thompson
After two weeks off, the Minnesota Machine traveled to St. Louis to take on the SLAM. In their previous meeting on May 9, St. Louis halted the Machine with their solid defense, forcing six Minnesota turnovers in a 28-0 SLAM victory. The Machine looked to return to full speed this time around against the SLAM, but St. Louis would prove that their 4-0 record and 228-7 scoring margin coming into the game was no fluke.

The Machine got the ball to start the game. Quarterback Kim Miller converted a 4th-and-short to keep the drive alive early on, but Minnesota was stopped on third-and-long and forced to punt. After a solid punt return, St. Louis faced third down on Minnesota’s 40 yard line. St. Louis executed a great play-action fake and the pass from the Slam quarterback hit her receiver in stride. The receiver raced ahead of the Minnesota secondary en route to a first quarter TD and a 7-0 St. Louis lead.

Minnesota earned another first down from a nice run by Maggie Alt on their next possession, but the SLAM defense held tight after that and forced another Machine punt. St. Louis quickly doubled their lead in almost the exact same manner they scored their first touchdown. After play-action from St. Louis made the Minnesota secondary bite, the SLAM quarterback launched another perfect pass to a wide open receiver for a 42-yard St. Louis touchdown. The SLAM kicker tacked on the extra point for the early 14-0 SLAM lead.

The Machine marched deep into St. Louis territory on their next possession as the second quarter began, but they were stopped at the SLAM 21 after a failed 4th down conversion. The Machine defense was able to force a quick three-and-out and Minnesota got the ball back near midfield after the St. Louis punt. Unfortunately, the possession was short-lived as Miller fumbled the ball back to St. Louis while fighting for extra yardage.

As the recently retired John Madden might say, great teams take advantage of their opponents’ mistakes, and the SLAM are a great team. Just two plays after the fumble, a St. Louis running back got to the outside on the Machine’s defense and scampered in for a 51-yard touchdown and a 21-0 lead.

The Machine appeared to get on the board late in the second quarter when Miller found Catima Wilson in the endzone, but the celebration was short-lived due to an illegal motion penalty on Minnesota. The Machine sputtered again in St. Louis territory, giving the ball back to the Slam after another failed 4th down attempt. St. Louis drove into Minnesota territory to end the half but couldn’t get any points. The half came to a close with the SLAM holding onto a commanding 21-0 lead.

That score didn’t last long when St. Louis took over to start the second half. The SLAM’s second play from scrimmage in the second half resulted in a devastatingly effective 58-yard touchdown run and a 28-0 St. Louis advantage.

Even with the big deficit, the Machine kept churning away and their efforts finally paid of on their first possession of the second half. Minnesota took the ball all the way down the field thanks to a steady mix of rushing, passing, and St. Louis penalties. Miller capped off the drive with a 1-yard QB sneak for a touchdown. It was only the second time an opponent has scored against St. Louis the entire 2009 season. Danielle Thompson booted the extra point through to cut the Machine’s deficit to 28-7.

After the SLAM strung a few first downs together on the ensuing drive, Minnesota’s pass rush and secondary came up big to temporarily keep St. Louis off the board. But Minnesota quickly went three-and-out as Thompson lined up to punt the ball back to the Slam. The snap two-hopped into Thompson’s hands and she could only get off a rushed 6-yard kick, so St. Louis took over in Minnesota territory as the third quarter expired.

As the fourth quarter wore on, it became obvious that St. Louis had the deeper team. While most of Minnesota’s players had to play on both sides of the ball most of the game, the SLAM had the luxury of constantly sending in fresh legs, and it really showed in the final stanza. St. Louis pushed their lead back to 28 with a methodical, punishing drive that ended with the SLAM’s bread-and-butter play of the night—a 10 yard play-action touchdown pass. Slam 35, Machine 7.

After the low-fueled Machine offense stalled again, Thompson lined up to punt. This time, a bad snap deflected off of Melisa Schlueter, and all she could do was cover up the ball as St. Louis took over at the Minnesota 20 yard line. It didn’t take the high-scoring SLAM long to take advantage of their great field position as they connected on a 17-yard touchdown pass for the game’s final score. The extra point went through and the SLAM were on their way to a near-flawless 42-7 triumph over the visiting Machine.

With a 35 point lead and under 5 minutes to go in the game, the SLAM attempted an onside kick. Thankfully, the Slam’s risk was not rewarded and Minnesota was able to recover. Minnesota nearly scored another touchdown on the drive, but Miller’s goal line pass from the SLAM’s 4 yard line was picked off by St. Louis.

The Machine (2-3) will look to regroup and reassemble next week as they host their first home game in over a month. Minnesota will have their rematch with the Iowa Thunder on Saturday, June 13th at Woodbury High School. In their first meeting, the Thunder prevailed in a rain-soaked 16-6 battle; the Machine will be looking for a different output this time around.