Opening Kickoff: The Pirates will host the Frisco Fighters in the semifinal round of the IFL playoffs.

Both teams are in their inaugural season and both organizations have made quite an impression this season.

The two teams split the two regular season meetings with each team winning at home. The Fighters beat the Pirates 40-33 and the Pirates beat the Fighters 38-37 a couple of weeks later.

One game separated these two teams in the standings so just like the first two meetings, expect this one to be close.

Here are three keys for the Pirates tonight.

1. Strike Fast: The Pirates are at home and they’ll have the home crowd behind them. It is important that they strike fast and force Frisco to play from behind. Frisco does not throw the ball well.

Massachusetts jumped on Frisco early in the last meeting going up 14-7 in the first. They will need to do the same thing tonight.

2. The Thomas Owens Show: Get Owens going early. Move him around, generate match ups and get him the ball. Owens has been a tough match up for defenses all season long. Feed the beast early.

3. Consistent pressure: The Pirates need to get consistent pressure on Frisco’s quarterbacks They could see both Malik Henry, Jonathan Bane and Jerrod Heard. It is important that they pressure but don’t let them break contain and extend plays.

Final Prediction: If the first two games taught us anything, this game will be tight. The Pirates need to win the line of scrimmage and not allow the Fighters to establish their running game. Frisco could potentially play three different quarterbacks and all three have different skill sets. Massachusetts must limit the effectiveness of all three of them. If they do snd get some timely stops, they could win this game. Score: Pirates 41 Fighters 38