PITTSBURGH — The Passion are coming to The Rock.

Mihalik-Thompson Stadium will play host to the Pittsburgh Passion’s first home game of the 2016 Women’s Football Alliance (WFA) season at 7 p.m. April 23 against the Cleveland Fusion.

The Passion, 96-27 overall in 13 seasons of football, will be playing their first-ever game in Slippery Rock.

“We have a lot of history between SRU and the Passion,” said wide receiver Angela Baker, who lives in Slippery Rock and is still a student there. “There are 16 or 17 Rock graduates who have played for the Passion.”

Among them is team co-owner Teresa Conn, a 1986 Rock graduate who approached SRU athletic director Paul Lueken about playing a game there.

“We’ve always had a very supportive relationship with Slippery Rock,” Conn said. “That’s a very community-minded school and we’re a community-minded franchise.

“We consider ourselves solution people. The quality of people in our program are the reason we win and they are more important than the wins and losses.

“Coming to Slippery Rock gives us an opportunity to show our brand outside of the city and that’s exciting,” Conn added.

The Passion play their home games at Cupples Stadium on the South Side in Pittsburgh. The April 23 game will be the team’s lone appearance in Slippery Rock.

“Teresa approached me about the idea of them playing here and I thought it’d be fun,” Lueken said. “That will be a busy weekend for us with our spring football game (April 22) and a home baseball doubleheader. I have no idea what to expect or how many people we’ll get.

“I know the Passion players sell tickets themselves and there will be tickets available at the gate.”

Conn pointed out that the Passion’s top quarterback (Lisa Horton), receiver (Baker) and running back (Tara Catone) all went to SRU. Offensive lineman Lauren Ferragonio lives near the campus.

Horton has been the Passion’s starting quarterback in every year of the franchise’s existence. She has thrown for more than 10,000 yards, has had multiple 1,000-yard passing and 1,000-yard rushing seasons along with multiple MVP awards.

“Lisa has been an all-star virtually every year she’s played,” Conn said. “She’s led us to national championships. She’s had a remarkable career.”

Catone is a 2013 SRU graduate and a former Rock track and field member. She rushed for 1,053 yards in her first year with the team last season. She also teaches middle school.

“Once track ended, I was looking for a new sport to be competitive in,” Catone said. “I had taken some classes with Angela Baker and she told me about the Passion.

“We win with hard work and execution. There are a lot of dedicated women on this team.”

The Passion are undefeated over the past two seasons, going 22-0 and winning a pair of Independent Women’s Football League championships. The team averaged 35 points per game in 2014, 43 points per game last year.

This season, the Passion will be playing in the 40-team WFA. The IWFL has 26 teams.

Ferragonio played soccer and softball at Plum High School. She said the mother (Beth Amato) of a friend played for the Passion.

“When I was 18, I tried out,” she said. “I played goalie in soccer and the footwork I used there has helped me as a lineman. I love football and the team chemistry we have is fantastic.”

Baker was a basketball and softball player at Carlynton High School. When she was 15, one of her mother’s co-workers played for the Passion.

“I remember going to the games as a kid,” Baker said. “I’ve played flag football since I was little. Obviously, this is a lot different.

“But when I went to my first (Passion) practice, got hit for the first time ... It was exhilarating. I said, ‘Let’s do this.’”

Now they’ll be doing it at The Rock.

“It’s something new for our campus, for people to check out,” Lueken said. “Hopefully, a lot of people will.”