Jackals take the win over Warriors in Texas

ARLINGTON, TX. — The Utah Warriors took a heartbreaking 22-20 loss to the Dallas Jackals on Friday in a match that literally came down to the final minute of play.

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With Utah dominating for much of the second half, the Jackals found life in the final five minutes to score a try as time expired for the comeback win. All 15 players on Dallas’ side took part in a closing maul deep inside Utah territory, ultimately touching the ball just inside the try zone to take the 22-20 win.

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“We defended the line-out very well tonight, but unfortunately, on that last one, we didn’t,” said Warriors coach Greg Cooper. “Crucial moments let us down…We just let them back into the game.”

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Indeed Utah had a prime opportunity to put the game on ice late with a line-out deep in Dallas territory in the 75th minute. But the precise execution Cooper’s team showed for most of the match escaped them, with Dallas forcing the turnover, and then marching all the way to the other end for the winning score.

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It was an improbable end, considering Utah’s dominance from the 55th minute up until the big turnover in the 75th minute that ultimately cost it the game.

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“You just felt the energy level moving away from them to us, but then that crucial moment came, and…it cost us the game,” Cooper said.

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Dallas led off the scoring, touching the ball inside the try zone in the game’s 3rd minute for an early 7-0 lead before Utah responded with 10 straight points to take a 10-7 lead just 12 minutes later.

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Joel Hodgson booted through a penalty kick in the 12th minute before Mika Kruse scored off a brilliant off-load from Paul Lasike in the 15th as the Warriors looked relatively sharp and precise from the start. Dallas, meanwhile, maintained most of the possession throughout the first half, but were beset by untimely penalties and sloppy execution, which Utah was able to capitalize on.

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“We didn’t have a lot of possession and a lot of territory, but I thought we defended really well today. There’s no question about that,” Cooper said.

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Dallas did get things together after the first water break, however, scoring a try in the 30th minute to take a 14-10 lead into the half.

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Utah was issued a yellow card in the 54th minute, which Dallas quickly turned into a converted penalty kick for a 17-10 lead, before Hodgson answered with his own converted penalty kick two minutes later to cut the lead to 17-13.

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Shortly thereafter came perhaps Utah’s most electric moment of the game, which was typically set forth by speedy fullback Michael Manson. In the 67th minute, Manson wriggled himself free on the edge before kicking a perfectly-placed ball ahead about 15 meters in front of him that he then scooped up at full speed for the try and a 20-17 Utah lead.

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The Warriors appeared poised to not only walk away with a key road win, but perhaps prevent Dallas from securing a single bonus point with constant pressure put on in the home team’s half of the field. But a late would-be Utah try turned sharply the other way with Dallas coming away with its first home win of the year.

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Utah did secure a bonus point, however, by losing by less than seven points, but it came as tough consolation in a match Cooper and his team felt they should have won.

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Utah drops to 2-0-4 on the season with the loss and will look to rebound a week from Sunday on the road versus the San Diego Legion.

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