Islanders come up short on road, 36-29
Advertiser Staff
The Hawaiian Islanders went from the thrill of potential victory to the agony of defeat in the waning moments of last night's game against the Wichita Stealth.
With the score tied at 29, the Islanders' Kimo Naehu lined up for a 43-yard field goal with 17 seconds remaining.
The kick sailed wide left and Wichita's Michael Dritlein caught the ball off the end zone rebound net and returned it 57 yards for a touchdown with three seconds left as the Stealth beat the Islanders, 36-29, at the Kansas Coliseum.
"You're not going to make every field-goal attempt," Islanders head coach Cal Lee said. "After you kick it you have to cover it."
The Islanders' Nian Taylor was tackled on the ensuing kickoff as time ran out.
The Islanders (3-2) had 247 yards in total offense, compared to just 142 for the Stealth (4-1).
But Wichita scored 22 points off the Islanders' three turnovers, and the Islanders had two field-goal attempts blocked. They also failed on two extra-point kicks.
"We're not real happy," Lee said. "We need to do a better job on special teams."
The Islanders were up 29-22 midway through the fourth quarter and had possession of the ball after stopping the Stealth on fourth-and-one at midfield. A penalty against Wichita moved the ball to the 15, but a pass by Darnell Arceneaux was tipped at the line of scrimmage and intercepted by Daren Williams.
Wichita scored on a 19-yard pass from Anthony Buich to Ty Ardoin, and Jason Corse's conversion tied the game at 29 with 2:59 remaining.
The Islanders' defense allowed four touchdowns on nine Wichita possessions and had an interception.
"This is an offensive game and anytime you make stops it's huge," Lee said.
Arceneaux completed 20 of 34 passes for 184 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Taylor caught 10 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown, and teammate Josh White rushed eight times for 30 yards and two touchdowns.
The Islanders will next host the Bakersfield Blitz on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the Blaisdell Arena.
