First home game for the Ljubljana Silverhawks in this year’s CEFL ended with the defeat against the Gladiators from Austria. After one overtime it was Slverhawks 6, Gladiators 13.
Playing conditions at Gunclje stadion were very tough, because the soaked field quickly turned into a muddy battlefield. The passing game was practically nonexistent, so both teams relied on their running backs. The Silverhawks struck first; on the 3rd play from scrimmage Robert Cochran broke loose for 76 yards and the touchdown.
Both quarterbacks, Berhard Kamber and Rok Štamcar, had a lot of troubles passing the ball. Kamber was first to make a mistake, Jan Lipovec intercepted him and brought his team deep into the Gladiators territory. A few plays later, the Silverhawks were on the 1 yard line of the Austrians. Cochran fumbled the ball, the Silverhawks’ players appeared to be the first to get to it in the end zone, but the officials ruled against it.
We saw a lot of running and punting in the second quarter, neither team could manage a decent drive. The Silverhawks got near the red zone a few times, but kicker Jure Bezica couldn’t expand his team’s lead. On the other side, the Gladiators almost did it. After 13 straight running plays, the last one from Martin Bauer, they scored the touchdown. They went for the 2 point conversion, but failed. The Silverhawks got another chance for the lead at the end of the first half, but Bezica missed the field goal wide right.
There was no scoring in the second half, there was a number of controversial calls from the officials, mostly to the detriment of the Silverhawks.
In overtime, Gladiators were first on the attack and they made a good use of it. Kamber’s pass to David Hailiman made it 6-12, and with the successful kick for the extra point, they had a nice advantage. The Silverhawks couldn’t muster a comeback, fumbling the ball on their second play to end the game.