With rapid momentum on their side, the undefeated St. Louis SLAM women’s tackle football franchise returns to action at home this weekend.
The SLAM hosts Dallas Elite Mustangs in Women’s Football Alliance (WFA) play Saturday. Kickoff at St. Mary’s High School (4701 S. Grand Blvd, St. Louis) is 7 p.m. General admission tickets are $15 while children 10 and under are free.
Photo Credit: Mick Lite- Arch City Media
St. Louis (4-0) kept their season unblemished with a 24-0 road victory over the Minnesota Vixen two Saturdays ago. The triumph pushed the four-time national champs to the top of the WFA Pro American Conference hierarchy.
“That game meant a lot to us,” reflected SLAM defensive end Mary Altepeter. “Leading up to it, we had several things motivating us to compete well. It felt great to still execute the game plan amongst a more challenging game. Overall, it reassured me that I’d take our 11 any day. We lift each other up to get it done.”
In the Minnesota contest, the SLAM sported a 17-0 advantage through three quarters and the ensuing triumph resulted in a two-game sweep against the Vixen, who were last year’s WFA Pro national runner-up.
Also maintaining a season-long benchmark that has opened eyes, the St. Louis defense extended their unscored-upon streak to sixteen quarters. This was challenged numerous times during the game as the Vixen possessed numerous “first and goal” opportunities but failed to reach the pay-window due to the SLAM’s subsequent lockdowns.
Currently, the SLAM is the lone WFA team, out of 51 teams nationally, that has yet to surrender a point this season.
“It’s about believing we can do it, trusting our gut, flying around and making plays,” assessed Altepeter. “Each game, our goal is to hold ourselves to a high standard. Proving we won’t give up. You just can’t count out our defense, even at the one-yard line. Our 11 any day.”
There have been plenty of weapons for the SLAM across all units. Offensively, quarterback Jaime Gaal ranks second nationally in the WFA with 13 touchdown passes while seven different players have scored multiple endzone appearances through four games.
Photo Credit: Mick Lite – Arch City Media
Collectively during the stretch, St. Louis has outscored the opposition 128-0. These numbers have been achieved thanks to the stellar offensive line consisting of Caitlin Erickson, Ariana Smith, Marion Ball, Tamikka Brents, Pamela Green and a host of others.
Defensively, the ongoing blanks have been paced by the aforementioned Altepeter, Alisha Straws, Jamie Skinner, Tay Johnson, Katelynn Hartman-Geier, Keyonna Smith, Jasmine Yandell and numerous other teammates.
The work in the trenches has dictated the tone for the impressive start as the team wishes to make a push for post-season play. They SLAM are currently positioned in a first-place tie, win-wise, in the WFA Pro American Conference with the Cali War, also 4-0.
“Offense and defense get hype off each other,” claimed Altepeter. “We just want to see each other succeed — see the hard work translate to big plays on gameday. We have done well on both sides of the ball, but know we aren’t perfect. The goal is always to make as little mistakes as possible. Control the controllables and work hard for each other.”
Saturday’s opponent, Dallas Elite Mustangs (2-3), fell to the OKC Lady Force 38-12 two weekends ago. That final might be misleading as the Force are currently 4-0 in the WFA Division II standings and are projected to be a prime contender for that flight’s national championship later this summer.
The Mustangs, a SLAM Pro American adversary, have plenty to prove this weekend. They want to finish their regular season even and, more importantly, shake up the conference’s foundation.
The main missives this weekend for the SLAM is to keep the goose eggs intact in both the loss column and in the amount of points surrendered, but also primarily continue the potential push for home field advantage in the upcoming WFA post-season complexion that begins June 24.
A large crowd Saturday at St. Mary’s, the first of back-to-back weekends of SLAM play, would certainly propel the 20-year-old franchise.
“The atmosphere at home is everything,” Altepeter claimed. “Under the lights, stands packed with family, friends, loved ones and support — a dream, honestly. The crowd motivates us to represent STL and show what we are capable of. “
Free online coverage of the game will be provided by Live Stream STL.
St. Louis hosts their regular season finale June 10 against Derby City Dynamite.
For information on SLAM football, visit their official website.
Arch City Media will have a full recap of Saturday’s game posted Sunday.
By trade, he is a six-time, regional Emmy Award-winning news videographer/editor for KTVI/KPLR-TV. By hobby, he is a writer for Arch City Media, dating back to February 2014. Emphasis is on featuring and promoting local women's sports, but will cover anything that is not reported by traditional media outlets. Also a contributor to local concert reviews.
