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HERRIMAN — Taking a result off the Seattle Seawolves was always going to be difficult for a shorthanded Utah Warriors in their third game of the 2024 regular season, even at full capacity.
The Warriors weren't there Saturday night, and it showed.
Toni Pulu, Joe Taufete and Jade Stighling each scored once, and Seattle held Utah to a single try until second-half stoppage time en route to a 23-13 win at Zions Bank Stadium.
Frank Lochore scored an early try for Utah, and Phil Bradford dotted it down in the corner after the 80th minute to add one final score for the Warriors.
In between, the Warriors (1-2) were beaten in possession, at the lineout, and in the scrum, where the hosts hurt themselves with uncharacteristic penalties that led to just 8 points at the halftime break.
"Today was not a day that we got a lot right," Warriors coach Greg Cooper said. "It started early on, obviously with a lot of scrum penalties. If we can't get the momentum up front, it makes it pretty hard, especially with a bit of a shuffle on the back line. I think we were basically beaten across the park today: scrum, lineup, and so forth. They put a lot of pressure on us and got a bit of width. We just didn't get any momentum at all today.
"We were beaten by a better team on the day."
— Utah Warriors Rugby (@utwarriorsrugby) March 17, 2024
Joel Hodgson gave Utah the only lead it would see, converting a penalty kick in the second minute to go up 3-0.
But Mack Mason converted back-to-back kicks from the spot, and Pulu and Taufete each had a try to give the Seawolves an 18-8 halftime advantage.
Seattle scored again through Stighling just 90 seconds into the second half to give visitors a 23-8 lead, which they would hold until Bradford found space out wide in the second minute of stoppage time for a Utah squad missing last year's leading scorer Joe Mano, Mika Kruse, Spencer Jones and former Herriman High standout Sione Mahe.
— Utah Warriors Rugby (@utwarriorsrugby) March 17, 2024
With the win, Seattle improved to 3-0 on the year with 12 points, just one point behind league-leading for first place in the western conference.
After a pair of home matches, the Warriors will hit the road next Saturday to face Rugby Football Club Los Angeles. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. MDT at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California and available to stream on The Rugby Network.
Utah returns home April 5 to host expansion side Anthem Rugby Carolina at 7 p.m. MDT at Zions Bank Stadium.
