Women's flag football team in medal contention at Euros
In the blue-and-whites' first-ever game at a European championship, they edged Sweden 14-12.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
The national women's flag football team remains in contention for a medal at the European championships following a win and two losses during the opening day of competition on Friday.
The squad, which does not play on Shabbat, played three of its four group games at the European Federation of American Football Senior Flag Championships in Helsinki, Finland, one after the other.
On Sunday morning, the women, coached by Jerusalemite Yonah Misha'an, will face Austria (0-3), with a spot in the bronze medal game against Sweden (1-3) up for grabs.
In the blue-and-whites' first-ever game at a European championship, they edged Sweden 14-12, but could not carry the momentum into their second game against a Finland squad (4-0) that finished the group stage in first place.
After a disappointing 32-0 loss, the Israeli women found it difficult to bounce back in their third straight game. The opponent, France, was a familiar one, as Israel had defeated the same team in the final at the Flag Oceane tournament in June. That overtime victory clinched the Israelis a spot at the Euros.
This time around, though, France (3-1) came out on top, 36-6, and will face Finland on Monday for the European championship.
Esti "Baseball" Bernstein led Israel's offense with two touchdowns in the three games, while Tali Griffel, who joined the team after the Flag Oceane triumph, played well on defense.
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