WASHINGTON – There was a celebratory mood on Gallaudet University's sideline as the final seconds ticked off the clock here Saturday. The Bison were vibing after they defeated previously unbeaten Marymount (Va.) University, 26-6, in a women's flag football game at Hotchkiss Field.
Gallaudet (5-0) scored the first points ever surrendered by a Marymount flag football team when the Bison found the end zone late in the second quarter. The two teams went into halftime tied at 6-6.
The Bison outscored the Saints 20-0 in the second half as quarterback
Crystal Salit (Boyds, Md.) threw two touchdown passes and
Raj Guettler (Frederick, Md.) had a pick-six interception in the closing minutes to put the finishing touches on the win.
Salit finished the game 14-of-25 for 130 passing yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Salit ran the ball three times for six yards and a 1-yard touchdown at the 1:53 mark in the second quarter to get GU on the scoreboard.
Guettler led all defenders with seven tackles (six solo) and finished with 3.5 sacks for a loss of 28 yards, one interception returned 10 yards, two pass breakups and one quarterback hurry. Guettler's 10-yard pick came at the 3:15 mark in the fourth quarter.
In the second half, GU started with the ball but the Saints forced the Bison to punt for the first time in the game. The Bison defense went to work and on third down,
Cam Lexow (Abington, Pa.) intercepted a pass thrown by Marymount quarterback Cara Vollmer and returned it 14 yards to the Marymount 18-yard line. Three plays later, Salit threw a 15-yard touchdown strike to
Citrine Lummer (Frederick, Md.) at the 4:15 mark in the third quarter. GU was able to complete the one-point extra point to take a 13-6 lead.
Marymount (9-1) went back on offense and had a lengthy drive that went from the end of the third quarter through the opening minutes of the fourth. GU's defense came up with a big stop on 4th down and 6 when Lummer pulled the flag of Saints receiver Carly Rivera near midfield as Marymount was one yard shy of a first down.
Gallaudet got the ball and Salit started to pick apart of the Saints defense with consecutive passes to
Jada Zarembka (Riverside, Calif.). Salit then ran for a first down and later connected with Guettler on a 12-yard touchdown at the 5:32 mark as the Bison led 19-6.
Marymount scored late in the second quarter when Vollmer ran in from three yards out with 15 seconds left to complete a four-play, 30-yard drive that took 26 seconds. The Marymount score was set-up on a Rivera interception of Salit near midfield and ran back nine yards.
The Saints entered the game having scored 310 points and surrendered zero points in nine games this season. Dating back to last year, Marymount had outscored its opponents 413-0 in 11 games.
Lummer finished with 83 all-purpose yards as she led all Bison receivers with 48 yards and returned two kicks for 35 yards, with a long of 21 yards. Zarembka led the Bison with five receptions and
Claire Ruiz-Tucker (Middletown, Md.) ran the ball five times for 17 yards.
On defense, Guettler led the way and was followed by Lummer with six solo tackles and
Gianna Visco (Riverside, Calif.) added five tackles (four solo). Lexow had one tackle for a loss of three yards while
Pia Garreffa (Somers, Conn.) added one tackle for a loss of one yard.
Hadassah Sklar (Brooklyn, N.Y.) added an assist on one sack for a loss of four yards.
For Marymount, Vollmer completed 15-of-24 passes for 114 yards and two interceptions. Kaylah Barr ran the ball five times for 35 yards while Samantha Bulik had a team-high 50 receiving yards on five receptions. Barr led the Saints defense with seven tackles (six solo).
The Bison scored 14 points off turnovers and finished with 153 offensive yards.
SENIOR DAY
Before the start of the game the Gallaudet women's flag football program paid tribute to its graduating seniors. The group includes
Talia Boren (Fair Oaks, Calif.), Garreffa, Guettler and Salit. Boren finished the game with three tackles (two solo), three pass breakups and one reception for 11 yards.
UP NEXT
Gallaudet will travel to Penn State Harrisburg tomorrow (Sunday, April 13) to participate in the United East Tournament. The Bison will enter as the No. 1 seed and face the No. 4 seed Penn St.-Harrisburg at 11 a.m. in one of the semifinals. The winner will advance to the 12:30 p.m. championship game.
