The Tampa Bay Storm fell just short of their goal of a title in Arena Bowl XXX, falling to the Philadelphia Soul 44-40 on Saturday night in Philadelphia.
The Storm started well, taking a 20-7 lead early and not playing the part of an underdog. In addition to coming up with a big turnover on downs, the Storm returned a missed field goal for a touchdown during that stretch. However, the Soul engineered a 37-20 run down the stretch that would clinch the victory, and their second consecutive Arena Bowl title and third overall.
The Storm were playing in the Arena Bowl after having won only two games a season ago, and their magical season ended just short of the title. In the 30th Arena Bowl, the Storm have now appeared in 10 of them and hope to build on this success going forward. The 2017 Storm finished with a record of 11-5 including the playoffs, dropping all four meetings against the Soul this season. For Philadelphia, it was their third title overall.