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Illusion shakes off loss, faces Cleveland Saturday

April 26, 2006

Okay, 71-0 just sounds really bad. And -28 yards offense, maybe worse. Add five interceptions and it just doesn’t seem very positive, at all.

Then team captain Michelle Kephart sums it up with, “There were a lot of positives. We stuck together, played together as a family. As bad as it sounds there were some good things.”

What? What’s wrong with these guys, uh, girls? They, the Erie Illusion Women’s Football Team, lost 71-0 to the Columbus Comets in Ohio last Saturday night and the team has a positive attitude?

Actually, they do. What may seem “wrong” with the members of the Illusion, Erie’s longest running professional football franchise, illustrates everything that’s right about the 25 women who have suited up this year to tackle the team’s fourth season in the National Women’s Football Association.

Four years ago, the local media asked, “Are they for real? Or just an Illusion?” A few blowouts later, the Illusion was razzed, ripped and written off by local sports columnists. No respect. No chance. They won’t last. But the Illusion didn’t fade. They kept showing up. They have lasted.

And this Saturday night, Erie Head Coach Bob Beres will lead his women back onto the field in Ohio to shake off a 71-0 loss and face the always competitive Cleveland Fusion in an 8:05 p.m. North Central Conference contest. He’ll do so with 20-plus veteran players whom Kephart said spent this week building on lessons learned in Columbus.

“We stepped it up and hit a lot harder in practice this week,” said Kephart, now in her third season with the Erie team. “We’re sometimes at a disadvantage with our numbers. We don’t really have a practice team to hit against, to practice live against. But we make the most of it. We’re improving every week.

“Columbus was tough. I think they’re the toughest team we’ve ever played against,” Kephart said. “But we learned a lot and now we’re ready to move on to Cleveland.”

The Illusion will try to improve on its 1-1 season start against the 1-0 Fusion, 13-12 winners over conference rival Pittsburgh a week ago. They’ll take the field with their starting unit nearly intact, having absorbed only a few minor injuries and bruises through their first two weeks competition.

When they do, they’ll most likely be underdogs, again. They’ll be facing a team with bigger numbers and a better record. But they’ll take the field as a family with enthusiasm, optimism and another opportunity to play a football game - and to showcase what’s “right” about Erie Illusion Women’s Football.

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