Vixen outlast KC Titans for season sweep by Jodi Rehlander Some games come down to a single play, and the Kansas City Titans and the Minnesota Vixen treated fans to a defensive slugfest for the ages on Saturday night at Farmington High School’s Tiger Field. On paper, the game was a solid matchup between two evenly matched teams on both sides of the ball. Kansas City was determined to turn the tide on a winless season thus far, but Minnesota was equally focused on staying undefeated. In the end, the Vixen would come out on top with a 7-0 final score. The Titans’ offense looked to set the pace early, slashing through the middle of Minnesota’s defense with a 13-yard run by Iliana Calderon on their first play from scrimmage. The Vixen were able to stop them from getting another first down, however, and after a line-drive punt from Liz Sowers, Minnesota started its first drive on its own 14. The Vixen also started well, with a plucky 9-yard catch and run from Kaiya Sygulla, but good pass coverage from the Titans and a fumbled snap on subsequent downs meant Minnesota’s first drive would also end in a punt. And so it went for most of the first two periods, with both teams showing brief flashes of brilliance, but offensive miscues and timely plays from the defense leaving each unable to establish a rhythm and convert good plays into points. It looked like things might heat up for the Vixen just before halftime when Amanda Atkins had a nifty midfield interception and 28-yard return with less than a minute to go. But KC knocked the ball out of Vixen quarterback Emily Evans’ hands and recovered the ball on the very next play, and the halftime buzzer sounded with the squads in a 0-0 tie. Minnesota started the second half with the ball, but turned it over on downs. Kansas City got as close as the 19-yard line but a fourth-down shoestring tackle by Caitlin Hill on a scrambling Liz Sowers just before the first-down marker kept the Titans off the board, and the punt-fest continued. The third-quarter ended with a little momentum for the Vixen, provided by a strong interior run by Jeanie “Tank” Nelson after a facemask penalty on a Kate Murphy reception out in the flats. Minnesota started the fourth quarter with another Tank run up the left side to just inside the Titans’ 20-yard line. Two plays later, Connor Jo Lewis slipped through a backfield tackle and had just enough blocking to the right side to run to the pylon for the game’s first and only score. Katie Muller’s PAT was good and the Vixen led 7-0. Kansas City made a strong push on the ensuing possession, getting to the Minnesota 30, but an offensive holding penalty and a third-down tackle in the backfield by Cynthia “Red” Bryant stymied their efforts. A dropped pass on fourth-down that would have moved the chains ended the possession. Each team had one more possession and drove deep into the other's territory, but the black curtain of the Vixen defense prevailed and Evans sealed the win in victory formation with just over a minute left in the game.