By Mac Cerullo, Eagle Tribune
BOSTON – July 22, 2017 – In recent years, the New England Patriots have set the standard for dominance in professional football. Now, a local women’s team is looking to do the same.
Saturday night, the Boston Renegades women’s football team will take on the Dallas Elite in the W Bowl National Championship, the Super Bowl of the Women’s Football Alliance’s Pro Division.
The Renegades enter the championship undefeated, coming in at 9-0 after sweeping the regular season to earn a first round playoff bye before advancing through the conference semifinals and conference final games. The Renegades have previously won three championships (2010, 2011, 2014) while under a different name, and are coming off an appearance in the conference final last year.
“We’re an all volunteer organization, and all of our players are either in school or have day jobs and families,” said Renegades owner Molly Goodwin. “This is something that people are passionate about and want to make a commitment to.”
The team’s roster includes six local players. Sue Quimby, a running back and a police dispatcher, is a Georgetown native currently living in Middleton. Methuen’s Cristina Gonzalez McAllister is on the defensive line. Lawrence native Charlene Casey, an athletic trainer now of Taunton, plays at linebacker. Rookies Angelica and Stephanie Pascual of Lawrence have made their mark at running back and linebacker respectively, and Alexis Belliard of Haverhill is a second-year linebacker who is currently on injured reserve with a torn ACL after enjoying a stellar rookie season.
“She was a pleasant surprise as a rookie, so it was really tough to lose her with that injury,” said Renegades owner Molly Goodwin.
The Renegades are led by quarterback Allison Cahill, featured running back Whitney Zelee and wide receiver Adrienne Smith. The W Bowl will be played at Highmark Stadium in Pittsburgh starting at 7 p.m. and will be streamed live on ESPN3.
(Click here to read a pdf of the article as it appeared on eagletribune.com)