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While D.C. Divas owner Paul Hamlin expressed displeasure that his team has to travel to face the Boston Militia in the Independent Women's Football League Eastern Conference Championship game, coach Keith Howard has accepted the team's fate.

The Divas (8-0) will visit the Militia (8-0) in Somerville, Mass., on Saturday for the right to take on the winner of this weekend's Western Conference title contest between the Chicago Force and the Kansas City Express in the IWFL Championship on July 25 in Austin, Texas. When the playoffs began, the Divas were the league's top seed. But the computer program that determines the playoff seedings, which takes margin of victory and other factors into account, pushed Boston past D.C. when the latest rankings came out last week. That gave the Militia the right to host Saturday's game.

Hamlin said last week he had a conversation with IWFL officials because he didn't realize the teams would be reseeded during the playoffs. The Divas had hoped to be at home for Saturday's game.

"We're just happy to be playing for the Eastern Conference Championship," said Howard, in his first season with the Divas. "I'll bet there are 40 other teams in the league wishing they were in the same position and heading to Boston this weekend for that game. I know [Hamlin] is very upset that we have to travel. But we're leaving on Friday. Where we play doesn't really matter to me. We've accepted the challenge."

The Divas have not faced the Militia since the opening game of the 2008 season, when Boston handed D.C. a 27-22 defeat. Both teams have improved considerably since then, especially on defense. After a disappointing 4-4 record last year, the Divas recorded their fifth perfect regular season in the last six years, shutting out four of their eight opponents.

Oddly enough, the Divas' playoff victory against the Passion on June 27 may have cost them a chance to host the Eastern Conference Championship game. The Divas defeated the fourth-seeded Passion, 27-17, while the Militia disposed of defending IWFL champion Dallas by a wider margin, 34-14.

"I wasn't at the Boston game last year, but what I've seen from them on film, they're very good," Howard said. "They're big and athletic. They have 45 on the roster, so they have depth. A lot of teams we play only bring 30 players. It's going to be our toughest challenge of the season. There's a reason they're undefeated.."

E-mail Ted Black at tblack@gazette.net.