Noa’s Ark: Season-Saving Last Minute Try Helps Seawolves Stun Legion in 29-25 Victory
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Seattle Seawolves fullback Duncan Matthews charges forward during the team’s 29-24 win against the San Diego Legion on May 17, 2025. Credit: Punkus Arnett/Seattle Seawolves. [/caption]
Less than a week after winning a thriller in Utah, the Seattle Seawolves notched another last-minute victory on Saturday. This time, eightman OJ Noa dotted it down past the 80th minute to flip a deficit into a 29-25 lead and earn another season-saving victory, this time against the San Diego Legion.
Back at home, the Seawolves had visible improvements in ball handling and red zone play, but still lost some chances up top that led to San Diego going up late in the match. Scrumhalf Nick Boyer, in his second game for the Seawolves, continued to show his skill for his new side, while wing Mika Kruse and impact scrumhalf Brock Gallagher returned to play after their knocks earlier in the season.
The match retained Seattle’s lifeline on the postseason, as the race for the last two spots in the West is now a three-team chase between the Legion, the Seawolves, and RFCLA.
Seattle Draws First Half Lead
The first half presaged the back-and-forth nature of the match, with each side putting together strong threats seemingly in turn. San Diego’s powerhouse maul won the visitors a try, but speedy play from Seattle netted the home side two tries for the half and the Seawolves had two other great looks on the try zone in the half – but one was denied by a clutch defensive dot-down and the other ended due to an unfortunate knock-on in front of the posts. Both sides mostly looked coordinated and threatening, though a card for each side resulted from some sloppy play by both Legion and Seawolves. Still, the first half showed notable improvement for Seattle in terms of knock-ons and ball handling.
The Seawolves started with an early strike, taking a drive well into Legion territory before winning a penalty in the second minute. Flyhalf Rodney Iona kicked for post in the third minute but it flew a couple meters outside the left post.
The home side got the ball immediately after as the San Diego kickoff found touch. Boyer took the ball out of the ensuing scrum and sent it down the line to Esdale on the side, who brought it within ten meters of the goal. After a couple ruck crashes, tighthead Juan Pablo Zeiss sent it to Iona who passed it to outside center Divan Rossouw, who found a hole between four unprepared Legion men and dove into the try zone in the fifth minute. Iona missed the conversion to the right, so the score was now 5-0.
Then the Legion came back with an attack of their own, winning a scrum in Seattle territory and then won a penalty that became a corner kick and lineout. The Legion pack mauled forward to the door of the try zone before loosehead Payton Telea-Ilalio picked it out of the ruck and lurched over the line in the ninth minute. Legion flyhalf Steffan Crimp sent the conversion wide left, so it was now tied at five apiece.
Seattle once again started an offensive drive with a scrum and then passes to the openside. Fullback Duncan Matthews gave it to wing Malacchi Esdale along the touchline and the Seawolf wing charged forward, nearly making the try line before being pushed back by a clutch tackle from Legion inside center Cassh Maluia. Seattle crashed forward along the line in the 12th minute but was stopped cold before winning a penalty. Iona sent it through the uprights in the 13th to make the score 8-5.
San Diego took control of play in the 14th with a lineout in Seattle territory and mauling it ten meters past the 22. Telea-Ilalio knocked it on during the breakdown, but the Legion had a penalty advantage and went for the corner. They once again took the lineout to maul, then another one, but the Seawall held firm and induced a knock-on to end the threat.
Seattle sent it the other way and had another turn in the red zone, with a corner lineout going to maul in the 21st before being sent down the openside. Matthews charged within five meters, but Legion wing Tomas Aoake knocked it out of Boyer’s hands as he took it out of the ruck and visiting scrumhalf Connor Tupai broke free, running it past the Seattle 22 before Esdale and inside center Dan Kriel caught up to him.
The sides traded possession after the water break with a Seattle scrum followed by a Legion lineout. San Diego crashed forward slowly past the 22 meter line and then won a penalty from a not releasing call on Zeiss. Crimp went through the uprights in the 25th to tie the game at eight.
The pendulum swung back once more as Seattle began a drive in Legion territory, with Noa and then Zeiss crashing to within ten meters of the line. Loosehead Cam Orr and then Matthews and then Orr again crashed to the five in the early 27th minute. Zeiss made it within three.
Then San Diego openside flanker Hugh Roach was sinbinned for an intentional knock-on in the 28th. Seattle won the ensuing scrum and Boyer sent it to the openside. Iona got the ball and crashed forward, and then Boyer took the ball out of the ruck and gave it to Hattingh, who dove into the try zone for five. Iona knocked it between the uprights to make the conversion and put the Seawolves up 15-8.
Kriel nearly broke away from midfield after a Legion knock-on and giveaway in the 31st but knocked it on himself before he could secure the ball, so it was a Seattle scrum.
Then there were a couple kicks before a high tackle from Matthews sent him to the naughty chair in the 32nd. After some short spells of possession – including a touchline run from Legion outside center and former Seawolf Tavite Lopeti that ended when two blue jerseys pushed him into touch – it looked as if Seattle might have scored. Esdale broke away and made it to midfield before sending it to Kruse, who delivered a squib kick to the try zone. Although Rossouw nearly got to the loose ball, Legion fullback Ethan Grayson beat him to the dot-down by a hair and prevented the try.
Seattle had another excellent look soon after as a drive began in the 36th that made its way from midfield to the 22 meter line. Iona sent a quick kick over the line to Hattingh, who charged within ten meters of the goal – but his offload back to a wide-open Iona was slightly high, and the flyhalf knocked it on.
San Diego had possession during the last ninety seconds of the half and quickly made their own bit of danger, with blindside flanker Brad Wilkin shoving his way to the 22 meter line. But the threat ended as Wilkin knocked it on past the 40 minute mark.
Seawolves Drop Lead in Second Half, Go Up at Last Second
The second half was broadly similar to the first, though the Legion took advantage of some poorly-timed Seattle errors to go up as the last ten minutes dawned. The Seawolves had a chance during the middle of the half to extend the lead to two tries, but a red zone error led to the game becoming much more of a nail-biter. With eighty minutes already passed, Noa dotted the ball down off a goal line scrum to regain the lead, and Seattle won their second straight last-minute victory.
The half began with a Legion score. After both teams traded possession for the first four minutes of the half, San Diego pushed the play forward, first with a short line break and then with a kick to touch. Seattle took the lineout deep in their own territory and Rossouw won back space with a kick to midfield – but the Legion immediately transitioned to the openside, where Lopeti drove past the 22 meter line. Then eightman Jimmy Hokafonu pushed to within ten and Roach picked and went to the doorstep.
In the 46th and 47th, the Legion crashed at the gate, but the Seawall held firm, forcing the visitors back, though an advantage gave San Diego a scrum five meters out. Hokafonu picked it out and rushed to the blindside before going down once again within a meter. But then Wilkin picked and dove into the try zone as the 49th minute dawned, and Crimp made the conversion to tie the match at 15.
Then it was Seattle’s go at the red zone. Despite San Diego winning a scrum in their own territory, Boyer pressured Crimp into sending a kick to touch and Seattle had a lineout. Lock Rhyno Herbst got it from the throw and sent it to Kruse, who shoved his way up the field before Noa crashed even further up. The Seawolves phased through and Matthews had a sure look on the try zone in the 52nd – but he knocked it on while receiving Rossouw’s pass.
Matthews immediately redeemed himself. After a kick to midfield by the Legion, the Seawolves sent it to their fullback on the side. Matthews broke between Maluia and Aoake and then bolted up the field, outrunning and stiff-arming a wave of red jerseys on his way to the try zone in the late 53rd. Iona made the conversion and it was 22-15 Seawolves.
But the pendulum swung back once more. The Legion made it within the 22 meter line in the 57th. Grayson broke through ten ore meters on the openside and offloaded to Wilkin, who picked up a couple more. Lopeti crashed forward a bit more and then hooker Shilo Klein picked and ran under two tacklers to dot it down for five. Crimp missed the kick, however, and so Seattle still had a two-point lead.
The Seawolves immediately came back with a promising drive of their own. After a couple kicks, Seattle crashed past the 22 with a series of rucks. The play moved to the blindside, where first both flankers – Charles Elton and Riekert Hattingh – and then lock Malembe Mpofu brought it within eight meters. But San Diego pressed against the home crew – who lost it on an errant Kruse pass intended for Matthews that found touch instead.
After the water break, San Diego took the lineout and Crimp booted it to touch around midfield. Seattle had a brief run of phases until Kriel knocked it on as three red jerseys tackled him. Then Kriel was shown a yellow card for a high tackle and the Legion had a red zone drive up a man.
The visitors crashed against the Seawall in the 65th. They went to the openside in the 66th but were stopped in their tracks and went to a previous penalty advantage. The kick went to the corner for a 68th minute lineout. The Seawall stopped the maul and so a series of rucks began, inching forward towards the zone. Prop Djustice Sears-Duru – a former Seawolf – attempted to crash under the posts, but was stopped by two blue jerseys. Then Tupai took it out of the ruck and sent an arcing pass to wing Ryan James on the touchline, who had a wide open path to the try zone. Lincoln McClutchie – in at flyhalf for Crimp – missed the kick, so it was now a three-point Legion lead.
Then began a run of positioning play around midfield, a rare occurrence in this game. The teams traded kicks as Kriel’s time in the sin bin wound down.
Seattle began to crash forward a little past midfield and then won a penalty in the 75th minute due to a Legion offside. Rossouw sent the kick to the corner for the lineout, beginning the Seawolves’ last chance at the goal. A series of rucks began, shifting back and forth along the five meter line.
In the 77th, Devin Short – in for Hattingh at flanker – crashed under the posts, but was stopped just inches from the goal line. The home crew took a scrum in the 79th and Noa picked and ran, but Roach impeded his run and gave Legion impact eightman Tevita Tameilau time to tackle him five meters out.
Then Seattle had another scrum under the posts as the eighty minute mark passed. The Seawolf pack drove the visitors back to the wall for a couple seconds before Noa picked it out and dove into the try zone under the posts. TMO checked the play for a potential knock-on but the try was upheld as Seattle took a 29-25 lead.
The Seawolves recovered the kickoff and Matthews kicked to touch to end the game.
Seattle Has Better Quality (Mostly)
Unlike many of their previous matches, the Seawolves played mostly clinically when they had possession. Passes were both confident and accurate, with only a couple times when there was a pass to touch or a ball that flew backwards past the intended receiver. This was a big key to success against the Legion, who also put together dangerous attacks on the try line. However, there will still a few red zone turnovers, especially in the first half when Seattle had the chance to run up a big lead.
Nick Boyer, the new scrumhalf, was a key part of this coordination. He showed a strong mix of creativity and accuracy, keeping the Legion on their toes with his quick decision-making and keeping both pressure and possession. Iona was also mostly accurate in the field and had good connection with his teammates, though his tee kicks often missed.
The Legion halfbacks, on the other hand, were good but not especially outstanding. Tupai (playing instead of the injured Richard Judd) and Crimp did their jobs but were a little less coordinated and a little less creative than Boyer and Iona, something that allowed the Seawall to maintain enough pressure to force a couple red zone turnovers.
However, the Seawolves had two players sinbinned in the match, with Kriel’s nearly called a red were it not for last-minute mitigation. The second half spell of 15-on-14 Legion play in particular resulted in pressure at key points that drove Seattle back and gave James the open field for his go-ahead try.
Wild Wild West with Three Weeks Left
Seattle’s second straight win makes it a three-team race for the last two spots in the Western Conference. The Legion, with four tries and a loss within ten points, moved up to 41 points on the table. Seattle won all five available points and is now at 38, while RFCLA sits at 35 pending the result of their match against the Chicago Hounds on Monday. Although the Legion are ahead of the other two at 41, they only have two matches left while both Los Angeles and Seattle have three.
It is also close in the rest of the West. The Houston SaberCats and Utah Warriors also played on Saturday, and a 40-14 thumping by the SaberCats sent Houston to the top of the table with 47 points while Utah remains at 43.
But Seattle’s gauntlet is not over. The SaberCats, coming off their resounding victory, travel to Starfire next week for a Friday match. Then, the Seawolves go on the road to face the New England Free Jacks, who have recovered from a slow start to rocket to the top of the East with a 9-4-0 record and 45 points in the table. The last game of the year is at home on June 8 against the Miami Sharks, who have also gained steam in the second half of the year and are at third place in the East at 7-6-0 with 36 table points.
Whatever the results, the Western Conference – and Seattle – is set up for a chaotic finish.
