In a high-stakes Western Conference semifinal showdown, we, the Seattle Seawolves, left everything on the field against the league-leading Utah Warriors but ultimately came up just short in a dramatic 23-21 finish.

It was a tale of two halves in Utah. We dominated territory and possession throughout the first 40 minutes, but we couldn’t crack their defense. We had multiple trips to the Utah try line that went unrewarded. Handling errors and turnovers shut down promising opportunities. Utah made the most of their limited chances and went into halftime up 17-0.

But the second half was a different story. We came out firing.

We finally got on the board with a penalty try, and that lit a spark. Winger Lauina Futi, who was called into the starting lineup late after Toni Pulu was ruled out with illness, seized his moment and crossed for two second-half tries.

Rodney Iona had one of his best games of the year. He went 2-for-2 on conversions and launched a pinpoint kick that set up our final try of the night.

Riekert Hattingh was back to his dominant self, busting through the gainline and matching the backs with his physical carries. Jade Stighling was everywhere. He led the team in meters made, defenders beaten, clean breaks, carries, and gainline success.

With the scoreboard reading 23-21 and all the momentum in our corner, we were right there in the dying minutes, set up perfectly to complete the comeback. But a not-straight lineout and a sequence of scrum resets drained the clock and denied us the chance to take the lead and punch our ticket to the Western Conference Final.

After the match, Coach Allen Clarke said it best: “That one hurts. I thought we were the better team, but ultimately turnovers at key times coupled with some decisions cost us.”

We wrap up our 2025 campaign with pride. We pushed the top seed to the final whistle in one of the most hard-fought matches of the season.