Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — The first 10 minutes and final 10 minutes left the Utah Warriors' four-game winning streak undone on the road Saturday afternoon.
Old Glory DC started the match on a 14-0 run and ended with a 12-0 spurt to hand Utah its first loss since March 18 with a 36-22 setback Saturday afternoon at Segra Field in Leesburg, Virginia.
"I thought we were a bit sluggish defensively today, then we were pretty good. We were just up and down," Utah coach Greg Cooper said after the match.
After a delayed start due to weather, DC struck first and doubled the advantage with Nicolas Souchon's try off a maul in the 12th minute to take a 14-0 lead.
Lance Williams pulled one back, but Old Glory (4-5, 24 points) were awarded a penalty try on an illegal block by Joe Hodgson in the 22nd minute to go up 21-5.
Closer look at Lance's try 😏 #ForTheNationpic.twitter.com/h2VaOG0olq
— Utah Warriors Rugby (@utwarriorsrugby) April 22, 2023
Utah's Mika Kruse extended over the try line just before the half-hour mark, Williams added a second score six minutes later, and the Warriors (6-3, 27 points) trailed just 24-17 at halftime.
"I think the whole team rallied quite well, and we ran out their passive defense," Cooper said. "But we probably didn't run hard enough, actually. We shuffled the ball quite a bit today. … We did some good stuff, but it was just one of those days where we were probably just not quite there."
Tuvere Vugakoto kept the maul moving for a try in the 70th minute to pull within two, 24-22. But DC immediately responded with a pair of tries, including Chris Newcomer dotting it down off a setup from Marcos Young with just three minutes remaining to help the hosts secure the win and a bonus point for scoring five or more tries to move into second place in Major League Rugby's six-team Eastern Conference.
"Giving away those late tries is just too unacceptable," Cooper said. "We had opportunities we didn't take … but it was just one of those days where we couldn't launch a lot off."
Utah returns home to Zions Bank Stadium in two weeks, May 6, to host the West-leading San Diego Legion. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. MDT on KMYU and The Rugby Network.
It's a massive win for @OldGloryDC as they defeat the red-hot @utwarriorsrugby at home to move into second place in the east!
— Major League Rugby (@usmlr) April 22, 2023
Check out the highlights.
📺 @therugbynetwork | #DCvUTAH | #MLR2023pic.twitter.com/d5spDupctP
