The Last Team to Beat Texas Elite Is Coming to Arlington, Saturday, May 9 for a Rematch

There are games on the schedule. Then there are games that carry receipts.

This weekend in Arlington, the Texas Elite Spartans do not just welcome the Kansas City Glory to Maverick Stadium. They welcome back the last team that beat them.

Last season, Kansas City stunned Texas Elite 20-14, handing the Spartans one of the rarest things in women’s football: a loss. It was not a fluke built on one play. It was a full-team fight. Maria Fautali ran for 106 yards and a touchdown. Nashi Catron threw two touchdown passes. The Glory defense picked off Michelle Angel twice, sacked the Spartans twice, blocked a kick, and found just enough answers to leave with a statement win.

Now the rematch arrives with even more weight.

Texas Elite is 4-0, averaging 34 points per game, allowing only 3 points per game, and looking again like one of the most complete teams in the country. Kansas City is 3-1, physical, dangerous, and built around the most explosive rushing attack in the league. The Spartans have scored 136 points and allowed just 12 through four games, while the Glory have scored 100 and allowed 48.

At the center of it all is the matchup everyone should be watching: Maria Fautali versus Tara 'Turbo' Thomas.

Fautali enters the weekend as the league’s most dangerous runner, with 524 rushing yards, 9 touchdowns, and a staggering 10.1 yards per carry. Thomas has been the Spartans’ engine, sitting at 415 yards, 6 touchdowns, and 6.5 yards per carry.

This is not just a running back comparison. It is a clash of offensive identities.

Kansas City lives through Fautali. She is the home-run threat, the tone-setter, and the player who can flip a game with one crease. Texas Elite is more balanced. Thomas leads the ground game, but the Spartans can also hit you with Tatyana Guidry, Maria Jackson, Cara Wesemann, Summer McNeal, and Michelle Angel’s arm. Texas has 705 rushing yards and 438 passing yards. Kansas City has 637 rushing yards and only 127 passing yards.

That means the key question is simple: Can Texas Elite make Kansas City play left-handed?

If the Spartans slow down Fautali and force the Glory into obvious passing situations, the advantage swings heavily toward Texas. Kansas City’s passing game has produced just 31.8 yards per game, with Brenna Morris throwing for 114 yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions so far this season.

But if Fautali gets rolling early, this becomes exactly the kind of fight Kansas City wants: physical, low-possession, field-position driven, and uncomfortable.

Defensively, Texas Elite has the kind of front that can wreck that plan. Whitney Palmer has been a force with 7 tackles for loss, 7 quarterback pressures, and 5.5 sacks. Waynicia Thomas has added 4.5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, and a forced fumble.

Mercedes Tyler has 4 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. This is the kind of pressure group built to collapse run lanes before they ever become highlight plays.

Kansas City, though, has its own defensive problem-makers. Kassidy Snowden has been everywhere: 38 combined tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 4 interceptions, a defensive touchdown, a kickoff return touchdown, and a punt return touchdown. Nova Nyström leads the Glory front with 6.5 tackles for loss, while Laila Finley and Ronnise Wilson give Kansas City more physicality behind the line.

That makes Snowden one of the most important players in the game. Texas cannot afford to give her extra possessions. Last year, turnovers helped Kansas City tilt the game. This year, if the Spartans protect the ball, they have the offensive depth to make the Glory defend every blade of turf at UT Arlington Maverick Stadium.

The passing-game edge belongs to Texas Elite. Michelle Angel has thrown for 426 yards and 6 touchdowns, while Maria Jackson has turned 13 catches into 5 touchdowns. Cara Wesemann and Summer McNeal have both already crossed 100 receiving yards, giving Texas multiple answers if Kansas City loads the box to stop Thomas.

That may be the difference between last year and this year.

In 2025, Texas Elite had yards. They had chances. But Kansas City made the game feel tight, stole possessions, and forced the Spartans into mistakes.

In 2026, Texas looks sharper, deeper, and more punishing. The defense is giving up only 3 points per game. The offense is averaging 285.8 yards. The run game is still elite. The passing game has enough firepower to punish overcommitment.

Still, Kansas City is not coming to Arlington as a hopeful underdog. The Glory are coming as a team that just handed the #2 San Diego Rebellion their first loss of the season, and the last team that proved they could do what almost nobody does.

Beat the Spartans.

That is what makes this game matter.

For Kansas City, this is a chance to prove last year was not a one-time shock. For Texas Elite, this is a chance to close the loop, protect home field, and remind the league that the road to the championship still has to come through the Spartans.

Two elite rushing attacks. Two physical defenses. One undefeated powerhouse. One team with the receipts. Saturday is a game that you will not want to miss!

Be there when it settles, secure your seats now and watch it live at Maverick Stadium.