Seawolves conquer Legion, 29-25, in coastal clash
Seattle continues hunt for third MLR shield
By Uriah Aguon, edited by Charles Hamaker
Tukwila, WA - It was a nail-biter from start to finish, and our Seattle Seawolves did not disappoint.
The Seawolves defeated the San Diego Legion 29-25 on Saturday, May 17th, at Starfire Stadium in a big rivalry showdown.
Before the match, Seattle inducted Eric Duechle into the Seawolves Legends Series. Duechle played for Seattle from 2018 to 2021 as a flanker, helping the team achieve back-to-back championships.
Retired from professional rugby, Duechle is now Executive Director of Seattle Compassion Services, an organization working to end homelessness in Ballard, one of Seattle’s most affected neighborhoods. He stays connected to the game as a high school coach for the Seattle Vikings.
Match recap:
Barely two minutes into the match, Seattle was awarded a penalty kick due to San Diego not rolling from the ruck. Fly-half Rodney Iona set up for the kick but missed to the left.
The Seawolves still gained an early lead via outside center Divan Rossouw scored on the openside in the fifth minute. On the blindside touchline, right wing Malacchi Esdale ran within five meters of the try line before going down. Scrum-half Nick Boyer passed out to Juan Pablo Zeiss, to Iona, and finally to Rossouw just off the openside touchline.
San Diego responded quickly in the ninth minute, proving the intensity of both teams on the pitch. Halfway through Seattle territory, San Diego fullback Ethan Grayson kicked for a lineout. The Legion’s forward pack mauled toward the try zone, landing inches away. Picking up the ball from a ruck set by hooker Shilo Klein, lock Jed Holloway snuck through in through the Seawall’s blindside and scored.
Neither of the first two tries were converted, keeping the score level at 5-5.
Esdale led with the first of many missed opportunities for Seattle. After receiving a pass from Rossouw in the 11th, Esdale grazed the try line but was pushed back by the Legion’s fly-half Stefan Crimp and inside center Cassh Maluia.
San Diego sealed the Seawolves in place for the next few phases. The Legion nearly found a clean break when right wing Tomas Aoke intercepted a long pass from Boyer to blindside flanker Charles Elton. The effort was nullified due to Seattle playing with an advantage due to the Legion not rolling away from the ruck. Iona opted for another penalty kick and gave Seattle an 8-5 lead.
San Diego controlled the ball over the next few plays. The Legion had two lineouts on Seattle’s five-meter line but was locked away by the Seawall. Attempting to move the ball across the field, San Diego lost possession when Maluia knocked the ball on after colliding with Iona. Seattle was awarded a scrum in the 18th and received an opportunity to kick for touch when San Diego attacked too early. Rossouw’s kick brought the Seawolves back into Legion territory.
Reaching the Legion’s five-meter line in the 21st, Seattle attempted to maul into the try zone, but pressure from Legion forced Boyer to pass the ball out back to inside center Dan Kriel. The ball was traded to Iona and fullback Duncan Matthews, putting Seattle again inside of 10 meters from the try line. The opportunity was lost when Boyer fumbled the pass, and the ball was stolen by San Diego scrum-half Connor Tupai.
Tupai handed the ball off to left wing Ryan James to avoid contact with Kriel, and the Legion were at Seattle’s 22-meter line. Outside center Tavite Lopeti, a former Seawolf, knocked the ball on during the Legion’s advance, granting another scrum to Seattle. A play that could have brought Seattle out of its territory was foiled by a dropped pass on the blindside touchline by Esdale.
The Seawall held strong against San Diego, preventing them from gaining more than a few meters. However, San Diego soon won a penalty kick, when tighthead prop Juan Pablo Zeiss was penalized for not releasing before trying to poach in the ruck. Crimp leveled the score again, 8-8.
The final stretch of the first half saw both teams having a turn with one-man advantages. In the 28th, San Diego’s blindside flanker, Hugh Roach, was yellow-carded for an intentional knock-on in the scrum. Seattle captain Riekert Hattingh, playing openside flanker, used the opportunity to score in the 29th, perfectly timing a slant run to receive a fast handoff from Boyer. Iona converted the try, and Seattle’s lead increased to 15-8.
San Diego’s turn for the one-man advantage was later on in the 39th. The stage was set in the 32nd when Matthews was carded for a high tackle on Crimp. Matthews collided with Crimp in an attempt to recover a squib kick.
First half gallery of our Seattle Seawolves taking down rivals San Diego Legion at Starfire Sports Complex on Saturday, May 17th, 2025. (Photos by Aaron Benson for Circling Seattle Sports)
More bad news followed for Seattle in the 33rd when a try was recalled. Receiving from Esdale, Kruse squib kicked the ball into the try zone from the halfway line. Kriel and Rossouw were met in the try zone by Grayson. The referee called a TMO review to determine who made contact with the ball first, revealing Grayson reached the ball first, giving a goal-line drop kick to San Diego.
San Diego ended the half scrambling for meters against the Seawall, but it was determined to rule the second half.
Advancing immediately from the kickoff, San Diego soon fell in front of the goal post, attacking in waves to achieve an automatically converted try. In the 48th, San Diego gained a penalty scrum. After collapsing inches away from the try zone, openside flanker Brad Wilkin picked up the ball and dove forward to score, tying the match 15-15.
Seattle immediately returned to Legion territory down the middle. Staying on top of the rucks, Boyer passed the ball to the left to loosehead prop Cameron Orr and then again to Iona, who whipped the over to Matthews by the touchline. One step into the try zone, Matthews flubbed the pass and knocked the ball forward, costing a tie-breaking score.
Matthews redeemed himself shortly after in the 54th. Crimp reset play with another goal-line drop kick, which was caught by Iona. The ball found its way down the line back into the hands of Matthews, who sprinted into the try zone from 50 meters out, shaving off four San Diego defenders. The try was nearly recalled when the referee called a TMO review for possible obstruction, but the score held, and Seattle regained the lead 22-15.
Proving again its mettle, San Diego cut the different to two in the 57th minute. The Legion barrelled forth ruck by ruck until Klein got the ball over the try line. Crimp missed the conversion kick, but the Legion were still dangerously close.
Seattle could have pulled ahead further in the 61st. The Seawolves made great strides to pass San Diego’s 22, but an overshot pass from Kruse intended for Matthews went into touch. This was the start of San Diego’s final-quarter dominance. The Legion showcased its driving power throughout the match, but it served them best in the final stretch, especially after Kriel was yellow-carded in the 64th for a high tackle with head contact.
Settling into Seattle territory, San Diego repeated the strategy from its last try and barreled toward the try line in successive rucks. The effort bore fruit in the 68th when left wing Ryan James stole the lead for San Diego, receiving a far pass on the openside touchline with a window to run, 25-22.
Second half gallery of our Seattle Seawolves taking down rivals San Diego Legion at Starfire Sports Complex on Saturday, May 17th, 2025. (Photos by Aaron Benson for Circling Seattle Sports)
Time fell off the clock as Seattle battled its way into Legion territory. The Seawolves took two penalty scrums with four and two minutes remaining. Despite San Diego’s efforts to run the clock out, Seattle drove forward into the try zone from less than 10 meters out. The forward packs swarmed underneath the right pylon, scarcely clearing a view of eight-man Olajuwon Noa holding the ball down under the post to give Seattle the lead.
With 20 seconds left, the referee called a final TMO review of the play, swarming Seattle players and fans alike with anxious silence and murmurs. The stands erupted when the official call sustained the try.
Sights from the game winning try in the dying moments of the match as our Seattle Seawolves took down rivals San Diego Legion at Starfire Sports Complex on Saturday, May 17th, 2025. (Photos by Aaron Benson for Circling Seattle Sports)
With two consecutive wins, Seattle is on the verge of a season-saving run. Noa shared as much confidence in the team and said the Seawolves are aiming for nowhere but up in the coming games.
“We’ve had a roller coaster of a season, so it’s definitely important for us to win these last couple of games coming up. We spoke about being accountable, and the boys stepped up today. It was a tough match against San Diego, but we owed them one, so very happy with the win.”
This was Boyer’s second match playing for the Seawolves, and he is already making great contributions despite spending most of the season unaffiliated and out of action. He thanked head coach Allen Clarke for the opportunity to return to the game and be a part of the Seawolves.
“We were able to make things work with my life that I have [in California], so I’m able to come up here and work and still fly back home. First off, thank you to the Seawolves for the flexibility. I’d say the team is one where there’s just been a couple of bad results, but it’s a really high-quality, high-caliber team. I stepped in and was amazed at the culture within the team, how friendly everyone was, how positive they were, and the skill level of all the players. We’re a very good team, and I came into the perfect situation to help with the energy I can bring.”
What’s next?
Seattle’s next match is against the Houston SaberCats on Friday, May 23rd, at Stafire Stadium in Tukwila, Washington, at 7:30PM PDT.
Houston is first in the Western Conference with a 9-0-4 record and 47 table points. The SaberCats visit Seattle after a 40-19 win against the Utah Warriors.
Seattle is currently fourth in the West with a 6-1-6 record and 38 points. The Seawolves are four matches away from earning a definitive spot in the 2025 playoffs, and each one counts.
RFC Los Angeles’s match against the Chicago Hounds on Monday, May 19, will determine whether Seattle retains the fourth-place spot in round 15. Currently with 35 points, if LA defeats Chicago, it will overtake the Seawolves on the table. In either case, the Seawolves need to stay fierce in the last leg of the season as they hunt for a third MLR championship shield.
The Seawolves’ previous encounter with the SaberCats was a 24-21 loss on March 1. Expecting another neck-and-neck challenge from the new conference leader, Seattle will have to tighten up its game and solve the handling errors that cost it crucial plays against the Legion.
“We were very good in a lot of areas. We just didn’t finish a few tries here and there. We put ourselves in a position where we had to come back, [but] to our credit, we showed character, guts, and grit. We have it in us to close games out earlier, and that’s our goal moving forward.”
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Check out our previous Seattle Seawolves articles here.
Check out our previous articles written by Uriah Aguon here, and his SPU work here.
Cover photo and photos in this article by Aaron Benson. Check out our previous articles with photos by Aaron Benson here and his portfolio here.
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