The Seattle Seawolves won on the road, rising to the challenge in their first match without their Captain, Riekert Hattingh. With Ben Landry and Charles Elton stepping into Co-Captain slots, and Ronan Foley at No8, the forward squad was tested as they looked to acclimate to severe weather conditions. Wind and pouring rain consistently played a factor in the Seawolves’ set pieces, drawing penalties and turnovers.
The Seawolves seawall defense held Houston back in the first half, but still allowed Houston points resulting in a 9-point deficit 12-3.
With thunderstorms threatening delays (or worse a cancellation which would favor Houston), the Seawolves came out of the shed looking to dial it in for the second half. At 45min, Mason Pedersen went out for a yellow card, and SaberCats snuck in the corner and scored. Martin Iosefo commanded a momentum shift in response with an assist for a try by Samu Manoa, and he followed it up with a second try within two minutes. Ina Futi was Man of the Match as he scored his first hat trick of the season, and a try saving pressure on defense in the first half.
SaberCats faltered on defense unable to stop the comeback which gained the Seawolves 31 points for the win. Overall, Seawolves scored 34 points with only 38% possession, and 7 overall turnovers in the red zone.
Tries Scored
Samu Manoa 5pts
Ina Futi 15pts
Martin Iosefo 5pts
Kicking Points
AJ Alatimu 9pts
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