The College of DuPage women's flag football team embarked on its first-ever regular season games on March 8. What better venue for the program's first contest than Halas Hall, headquarters of the Chicago Bears and host of the Bears Flag Football Regional Tournament. Eight teams from the area traveled to Lake Forest for the event on Sunday.
DuPage opened the morning with a matchup against Illinois Wesleyan University. The Chaparrals jumped out to a 6-0 lead after a Hannah Galvan rushing touchdown, but the Titans answered with 22 straight points to defeat DuPage 22-6. The Chaps outrushed IWU 80 yards to 48 and forced four Spartan turnovers. Marissa Ritsko, Alyssa Elizondo, Jalene Sanchez, and Cailey Salerno each recorded interceptions for DuPage.
Quarterback Hannah Galvan finished 14-of-28 passing for 80 yards and added 51 rushing yards on 13 carries, including the Chaps' lone touchdown.
Kamila Raczka hauled in three passes for 43 yards, while Aneibi Farias Olaguez caught five passes for 25 yards and added 24 rushing yards on three carries.
Defensively, Destynee McCoy was all over the field for the Chaps with 10 flag pulls and a pass breakup.
In game two, DuPage took on Benedictine University to determine third place in the tournament. The Chaparrals dominated the Eagles 42-0, compiling 346 total yards compared to just 91 for Benedictine.
Ten different players recorded a rushing attempt for the Chaps, showcasing strong ball distribution by signal caller Hanna Galvan, who went 10-of-15 for 93 yards. Galvan also rushed eight times for 47 yards and two touchdowns. Kailey Pawlikowski also saw time at quarterback, completing 6-of-7 passes for 70 yards and two touchdowns.
Angie Mendez proved to be a major problem for the Eagles' defense, hauling in six catches for 97 yards and a touchdown. Cailey Salerno added two receptions for 34 yards.
Defensively, DuPage stymied the Eagle attack throughout the contest. Marissa Ritsko recorded an interception and a pass breakup while adding three flag pulls. Khia Hicks registered a sack for the Chaps' defense. Galvan contributed defensively as well with two pass breakups, and Jalene Sanchez intercepted two Benedictine passes.
Head coach Jenn Schulmeister was pleased with her team's opening day performance, stating, "It was a great experience participating in the first-ever collegiate flag football tournament hosted at Halas Hall. We came away with a lot of positives and are very excited for the rest of our games this season. We are super proud of the effort and energy our girls brought to both games. We are eager to get back to the drawing board to tweak and refine things for our first out-of-state trip to Kansas this weekend."
The Chaparrals will travel to Pratt, Kansas, for two games on March 14. Game one against Pratt Community College is scheduled for 2 p.m., followed by a matchup with North Central Missouri College at 3:30 p.m.
