Soul get boost from return of two players

Soul linebacker Beau Bell spent most of the first half of the team's season in agony.

"It felt like I had a knife in my back; it was almost unbearable," said Bell, who has played the entire season with a herniated disk in his back that forced him to miss almost two months.

Soul receiver Shaun Kauleinamoku said the sprained knee that sidelined him for six weeks was more so frustrating than painful.

"It was hard because I came here to play with my brothers and I had to spend a lot of time on the bench not being able to go to war with them," said the receiver, who was out from June 20 to Aug. 2. "You're just watching and waiting."

The wait ended in a big way for both players last week as they helped the Soul punch their ticket to the American Conference title game on Sundaywith a 47-35 victory over the Cleveland Gladiators. Both players, added during the offseason, had arguably their best performances of the season for the Soul (16-3), which hosts the Jacksonville Sharks (11-8) with a berth in Arena Bowl XXVIII hanging in the balance.

Bell, a first-team all-Arena League linebacker with the Los Angeles Kiss last season, had two sacks and helped as the Soul beat Cleveland for the fourth time this season. Bell has been playing better since missing six weeks with the back injury.

Kauleinamoku hauled in three touchdowns in the win over Cleveland. He has come alive in the last two weeks with five touchdowns and 15 receptions for 216 yards.

"These are the reasons why we acquired these guys," Soul coach Clint Dolezel said. "They both had to overcome injuries but they continued to work hard to get through it. It's paying off and they are making contributions for us whenever they are on the field."

Acquired from Pittsburgh in the offseason, Philadelphia is the fourth team Kauleinamoku has played for in the last five seasons.

The Sharks and the Soul are very familiar with each other. The Soul are undefeated at home. However, they are 1-2 against the Sharks this season. They have faced each other two times in the last three seasons in the American Conference title game.

The Sharks reached the conference title game with a decisive 55-33 win at Orlando.

"We know that they are a dangerous team from our own experience with them this season," Bell said. "We won't do anything different. We'll just play our game."

Bell has never played in an Arena Bowl. Conversely, Kauleinamoku won one as a rookie with Spokane.

"It's a great feeling, one you want to experience again after you accomplish it, Kauleinamoku said. "We've talked about it. A lot of guys came here with that goal in mind."