Seawolves downed by Gilgronis in early season battle of undefeated teams

Tukwila, WA – The Seattle Seawolves undefeated start ended at three games as the Austin Gilgronis were victorious behind a strong second half. The Seawolves held a narrow halftime lead, but Austin’s second half proved too much for Seattle. The Gilgronis scored three tries in the second half, while the Seawolves couldn’t overcome their own miscues. Pregame, Tim Metcher was honored as he reached a milestone 50th appearance for the Seawolves, a club record. He is also the second player in MLR history to play in 50 matches.

Tim Metcher is honored pre-game

This matches first half was Seattle’s pace, a tough 40 minutes with several scrums. The Seawolves were able to take advantage of the penalties surrendered by Austin, as fly half AJ Alatimu converted penalty kicks at the 19th and 26th minute marks. It seemed like the Seawolves could grit this one out like they had with their previous three games, earning wins behind their Seawall defense. The second half did not go as planned.

Fly half AJ Alatimu

The latter half of this game was still within grasp at the second water break in the 60th minute. The score sat at 11-13 in favor of Austin. Shortly after would be the turning point, as the Gilgronis were able to get two tries within a five-minute time period. Seattle couldn’t answer until quite literally too late, recording a try and successful conversion at the 80-minute mark.

Seattle saw their win streak stop at three, the best in franchise history to open a season. There is no shame in the loss, as Austin looks to be a talented squad all season long. With that being taken into consideration, it is important that the Seawolves address their issues going forward if they plan on being serious contenders for a third MLR title. The Seawolves have been able to overcome turnover problems and offensive stagnancy with late game defensive stands. Getting those games down to the wire and relying on your defense every game is not a recipe for success.

The season is still relatively young, so Seattle needs to figure things out, but not overnight. Their next contest is March 4th against the Nola Gold at Starfire sports complex with a 7:30PM PST start time.

Photos by Charles Hamaker.