The Jersey Shore Wave (1-1) went against the Washington Prodigy (1-1) on Saturday, April 18 at Hinchliffe Stadium, falling 20-59.
Jersey Shore hoped to bounce back after a tough home opener loss to the Atlanta Truth, where they fell 13-50 the previous week.
For the Prodigy, it seemed like a favorable matchup, while for the Wave it was a slow start where mistakes quickly became a factor.
On the first drive of the game, the ball was fumbled by Jersey Shore and recovered by Washington. Not even a minute in, and the first turnover was committed.
The offense was not the only side struggling, as the defense was also unable to stop Washington from reaching the end zone.
After the fumble, Washington took over with the ball placed on the four-yard line. Running back Keena Samuels scored the first touchdown of the game to make it 0-6. The extra point was missed, keeping Jersey Shore within reach early.
Starting their next drive at the 28-yard line, Jersey Shore quarterback Karen Mulligen looked downfield for a pass, but it was intercepted by Washington defensive back Danielle Spearman.
That turnover quickly turned into another score, as Washington’s wide receiver Mackenzie Vest broke through for a touchdown.
At this point, the score was 0-13, and the Wave continued to struggle against Washington. With a fumble and an interception early, the defense was forced to stay on the field and try to keep the game within reach.
However, neither the offense nor the defense was able to find any momentum, and by the midpoint of the second quarter, Washington had built a 34-point lead.
But then, Jersey Shore seemed to have found a wave of momentum to ride on. On a kickoff return, wide receiver Madison Grayson ran the ball into the end zone for six points. The Wave converted a two-point attempt with a pass to Nicole Smizaski to keep themselves in the game.
The momentum continued as Jersey Shore regained possession near the Prodigy’s 37-yard line. A big reception from Nahtali Simpson helped set up another scoring drive, and the Wave went into halftime trailing 34-14.
The momentum the Wave built before halftime did not carry into the second half. Washington regained control on offense and extended their lead to 45 by the end of the game, while Jersey Shore added one more touchdown to bring their total to 20.
The Jersey Shore Wave will travel to Atlanta for a rematch against their Week Two opponent, the Atlanta Truth on Saturday, May 2.
