The Straubing Spiders (0-10) welcome the Munich Cowboys (5-5) to the Spiderdome Saturday night with the hosts running out of chances to escape the bottom of the GFL South and the visitors trying to steady themselves after back-to-back losses.
Spiders running out of time
For Straubing, the equation has become brutally simple: win.
The Spiders have two games remaining, with Saturday’s home finale followed by a trip to face the Düsseldorf Panther. Their most recent outing offered some encouragement despite a 31-22 loss to the Regensburg Phoenix.
Raleigh Benjamin Yeldell III threw for 264 yards and two touchdowns, both to Eloi Soler, who finished with five catches for 111 yards. Jvonte Kareem Davis added a touchdown on the ground as Straubing stayed within striking distance.
But four turnovers and nine penalties repeatedly stopped the Spiders from turning promising stretches into their first victory.
Watch live PPV. Munich Cowboys @ Straubing Spiders, Aug. 22, 19:00 CET (7 pm, 1 pm ET)
Cowboys looking for a response
The Cowboys arrive in Straubing needing a turnaround of their own.
After falling 14-7 to the Pforzheim Wilddogs, Munich went into halftime tied 14-14 with the Ravensburg Razorbacks last week before being shut out after the break in a 35-14 defeat.
Nicholas Semptimphelter completed 20 of 32 passes for 193 yards and two touchdowns, finding Jonathan Roebuck and Sebastian Reiner for scores. Roebuck caught five passes for 79 yards, while Maximilian Mayer supplied 65 yards on the ground.
At 5-5, the Cowboys remain in the playoff race, but another stumble would make their path considerably more difficult.
Straubing gets one last home shot
Munich dominated the first meeting 41-14, but the Spiders have changed since then, with Sven Dorfner taking over as head coach and Daniel Emmanuel directing the defense.
Now they need those changes to translate into a complete four-quarter performance.
The Cowboys have plenty riding on the game as well. Two straight defeats have halted their momentum, and Munich needs to get its offense moving again before the postseason race slips away.
For Straubing, there is even more urgency. Ten games have come and gone without a victory.
Under the lights at the Spiderdome, the Spiders get one final opportunity to change that in front of their home crowd.