TUKWILA, WA — In a match full of momentum swings, hard hits, and late drama, we came within a breath of pulling off one of the most memorable comebacks at Starfire. Despite a powerful second-half surge, we ultimately fell 27-30 to the Utah Warriors on Saturday night.
The result stings, but the fight we showed from start to finish tells a bigger story about who we are and where we’re heading.
Utah got on the board early, scoring in the fourth minute after a broken play turned into a quick offload and a try under the posts. They added a second score late in the first half off an interception, sending us into the break down 6-14.
But even as the Warriors tacked on more points early in the second half, stretching the lead to 6-27, we stayed composed. We didn’t fold. We went back to our structure and began to chip away.
In the 59th minute, we found the breakthrough. After sustained pressure, our attack broke the line and finished strong, giving the fans at Starfire a jolt of belief. Three minutes later, we struck again, back-to-back tries that cut the lead to just seven and shifted the momentum entirely.
Utah responded with a penalty kick to make it 30-20, but we answered right back. A driving maul in the 74th minute earned us a penalty try and forced a yellow card on Utah, giving us a man advantage for the final minutes.
Down by three. Fans on their feet. Starfire at full volume.
We pressed. We played with urgency. But Utah controlled the final possessions and closed it out.
Eddie Fouché was calm and clinical with the boot, putting points on the board early to keep us close. Our forwards stepped up late, dominating the breakdown and winning key scrums. In the backline, Divan Rossouw continued to be a spark, leading from the back and creating problems for Utah’s defense every time he touched the ball.
We also saw major contributions from our bench, who came on with energy and helped tilt the field during the second-half push. It was a true squad effort.
We’re now 1-4 on the season, but we know that doesn’t tell the full story. This league is tight. Matches are decided by moments, and we showed that we’re right there with one of the top-performing teams in the West so far.
The belief in the locker room is strong. The work ethic is there. And if we keep bringing that same second-half mentality to every match, we know the results will come.
We’ve got a long season ahead. We're not backing down. And we’ll be coming out swinging next week.
Thank you to everyone who packed Starfire, raised your voices, and backed us to the very end. Your support fuels us. We’ll keep hunting.
