The Minnesota Vixen knew they had to have a top-notch performance in all facets of the game to beat the Chicago Force and remain undefeated, but couldn’t find their groove and suffered a 53-0 loss on May 6 at Evanston Township High School.
Chicago got off to a fast start with Cassey Brick’s 79-yard opening kickoff return for a touchdown. Minnesota’s offense began strong, marching from its own 26-yard line to the Force 38 in 9 plays before having to punt, but then had just one drive that lasted more than four downs before halftime. Meanwhile, Chicago scored four more touchdowns, one on a punt return, and added a field goal to lead 39-0 at halftime.
The second half saw the Vixen defense come up with a fumble recovery and interception yet not able to keep Chicago from scoring twice more. On offense, Minnesota punted three times, lost a fumble and turned it over on downs.
Quarterback Kiersten Hansen was the night’s leading rusher, garnering 12 yards on 6 carries. Grace Cooper added 11 yards on 10 tough carries, along with 17 yards on 4 catches. In addition, the offensive line put up a great fight, only allowing one sack against a swarming Chicago defense. Hansen was 12 of 24 for 77 yards. Sam Barber caught 6 passes for 61 yards. Minnesota had just 94 yards of total offense but also its least-penalized game of the season.
On defense, Madison Schmatz and Erin Tilford each had 7.5 tackles, with at least one tackle by 8 other Vixen. Crystal Ninas and Red Bryant recovered fumbles and Anne Thiessen had an interception.
Minnesota falls to 4-1, and 1-1 in Division 1 play. They are off for a week, then hit the road for a rematch with the Kansas City Titans (2-2, 0-1 D1) on May 20.
