Kiel Baltic Hurricanes Defeat Frankfurt Universe To Advance To German Semifinals

The Kiel Baltic Hurricanes put on a defensive clinic Saturday in a rain-drenched Frankfurter Volksbank Stadium in Frankfurt, to down the Frankfurt Universe 10-3 in front of 3,812 spectators and advance to the German semifinals.

The win atoned for a quarterfinal exit last season for the Hurricanes and put an end to a fairytale first season in Germany’s top league for the Universe.

It was a game of two key interceptions.

Kiel defensive back Brandon LeBeau picked off a Marcus McDade pass early in the first quarter and returned it 40 yards for the touchdown and what turned out to be the winning score.

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Kiel QB Logan Schrader on the run

Then Christoph Stamm sealed the win intercepting McDade again on Frankfurt’s final offensive series.

In between, Kiel’s Florian Dannehl added a field goal in the second quarter to account for Kiel’s scoring. Then, Frankfurt kicker Ricardo Rodrigues kicked a 38 yard field goal in the fourth quarter for the only points for the Universe.

Hurricanes head coach Marcus Herford was happy:

“We knew it would be a competitive match. The weather conditions were difficult and our defense played outstanding and today carried the load for the team.”

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This coming weekend the Hurricanes will head to Braunschweig to face the New Yorker Lions who defeated the Allgäu Comets 30-6. In other quarterfinal action, the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns beat the Berlin Rebels 24-14, and the Dresden Monarchs downed the Saarland Hurricanes 43-7.

 

 

Roger Kelly is an editor and a writer for AFI. A former PR Director the B.C. Lions of the Canadian Football League for 7 years, he now lives in Sweden writing about and scouting American Football throughout the world.