Warriors look for second victory over Legion this Saturday

HERRIMAN — The Utah Warriors return to the field this Saturday to take on the visiting San Diego Legion in a matchup that will go a long way in determining any postseason aspirations.

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The Warriors currently stand in fifth place in the Western Conference with 26 total points, with both the Dallas Jackals (32) and the Legion (36) just ahead of them. Both the Jackals and the Legion secured wins last week as Utah had its second bye week of the season, which only worked to compound the probability of securing a postseason berth.

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But Utah can only control what it does — a fact confirmed by Warriors Head Coach Greg Cooper.

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“The important thing, for us, is that we have five opportunities to put together 25 points,” Cooper said. “So we just have to check off each one as they come, and this one is a must-win game, much like all the rest of our games will be from here on out. That’s how we’re approaching it.”

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The Warriors defeated the Legion in San Diego 33-32 back on April 21, and will certainly be buoyed up by home field advantage this week, although coming off a bye week presents unique challenges.

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“It’s a great opportunity to get mentally refreshed, and physically refreshed, as well,” Cooper said of the bye week. “But the challenge is that teams don’t particularly play well after a bye. So we’ve done things a little differently this week to try to make sure we’re not one of those teams.”

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The goal will be to come out strong from the start, which has been a challenge for the Warriors throughout the season.

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“We’re hoping to come into this game with plenty of energy, so that’s how we’ve approached it,” Cooper said. “We’ve been training through the bye in an attempt to play with as much energy as possible from the start.”

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San Diego presents its usual challenge of taking full advantage of any mistakes and is coming off of a strong 27-19 win over RFC Anthem the week prior.

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“They’ll take advantage of poor kicks, and just about everything else. They’re very good at that,” Cooper said. “It’s going to be a tough challenge, but we’re confident in our own ability to put forward a great effort.”

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Complicating Utah’s effort will be some notable absences likely due to injury. Cooper didn’t get into specifics of who exactly will again be shelved due to injury, but did emphasize that it can’t be a focus.

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“You can’t make excuses,” Cooper said. “We’ll have the players we have, and we’ve beat good teams without some of our top players, and that’s how it’s going to have to be. Other players will be asked to step up, just like they have all year.”

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Considering Utah’s current standing with only five games remaining on the regular season, the team is in playoff mode and excited for the challenge ahead to become postseason eligible with the confidence it can defeat anyone within the Major League Rugby competition.

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“We have to get into the top four of our division, and that’s what we’re focused on,” Cooper said. “We’ve talked about the pressure of that, but also the excitement about it. We have to get out there on the field and take advantage of every opportunity we have.”

UTAH WARRIORS VS SAN DIEGO LEGION

WHEN: Saturday, June 1

WHERE: ZIONS BANK STADIUM

TIME: 8 P.M. MST

BROADCAST: KMYU, TRN, KSLSPORTS.COM