The Carlstad Crusaders and Örebro Black Knights are set to clash in the Swedish Women’s Championship Game Saturday, October 2 at Behrn Arena in Örebro.
The Black Knights will be looking for revenge after losing the 2020 championship game to the very same Carlstad team. In fact, These two teams have faced each other in the final for the last three years and Carlstad has won every one.
Örebro got a measure of revenge during the regular season, beating the Crusaders 21-18 at Behrn Arena, but Carlstad responded three weeks later, downing the Black Knights 43-7 at Tingvalla IP on September 11.
Black Knights head coach Sebastian Nilsson is well aware of the task at hand:
“We are going into this game as underdogs in our own stadium, meeting a Carlstad team that has been reinforced on offense and defense with top players from Finland. They have improved over the course of the season so we have to go out and repeat the success we had in the first game this year.”
Carlstad Crusaders @ Örebro Black Knights, Oct.2, 15:00 CET (3 pm, 09:00 am ET)
The Black Knights will look to a couple of key players in the title matchup, quarterback Sara Lidner and running back Aino Lepojärvi from Finland. The key to the Örebro offense is the running game and Lepojärvi plays a critical part. With plenty of rain in the forecast, Örebro could have an edge.
Defensively, Örebro relies on national team defensive lineman Alexandra Thörnstrand along with an athletic secondary.
Carlstad head coach Christian Forsman:
“Despite the fact that this is the third time we play Örebro this year, there are some new factors to account for since the last game. Örebro has added six new imports since that game but has also suffered some injuries to key players, so what their team will look like is a mystery. We in Karlstad have focused on the factors we can control ourselves and spent a lot of time on timing and honing the small details.”
The Crusaders Finnish contingent is led by quarterback Emilia Räty whose presence has allowed them to move Linda Johansson back to wide receiver where her athletic gifts can really shine. That doesn’t mean losing sight of the other Carlstad receivers, Karin Ullén and Anna Hedström, both of whom are playmakers.
The Carlstad defense features a number of national team players but the key is defensive end Anni Alanko who has a reputation for making big plays when it counts.
The Swedish title game will be a classic run versus pass matchup. The Örebro ground attack against the aerial assault favored by the Crusaders. With rain predicted for kickoff and throughout the game, the Black Knights running game may have an edge but Carlstad’s defense plays well against the run.
This game is a wide open affair.
Watch the game live here. Carlstad Crusaders @ Örebro Black Knights, Oct.2, 15:00 CET (3 pm, 09:00 am ET)