Selects win rematch against MPD All-Stars

Herriman, Utah — In the much-awaited rematch between the two teams, the Selects came away victorious with a commanding 27-15 win against local MPD All-Stars at home.

In an aggressive second meeting, the Selects were able to capitalize on penalties and utilize their full 23 man roster to secure the win against the MPD All-Stars, despite falling short in their previous meeting.

“I want to say thank you to the MPD for giving us a second match, […] because it gave us a good measuring stick to see how we’ve improved over the last month,” said Brandon Sparks, Utah Warriors Director of Rugby. “The boys definitely answered the call today, made some great adjustments at halftime and then came out and had an extremely strong half after a tough half of us finishing 3 and 3. We’re excited and on to the next one!”

The game started without any scoring action. No points were scored in the first half until the 35th minute when the All-Stars took a penalty kick for 3. It wasn’t long before the Selects capitalized on their penalties as well, putting up their own 3 points from a kick. Going into halftime, the score was 3-3.

The Selects came out strong in the second half when Lance Williams put 5 on the board after a maul pushed the team to the try line. A breakaway try by Joe Mano put the score at 17-3 after two successful conversion attempts. The All-Stars answered back with their own try, but a missed conversion kept the score to 17-8. Continuing to capitalize on penalties, the Selects added another 3 with a successful penalty kick. 

Finishing strong, a run by flanker Mike Gieselman set up James Mocke for a try in the last ten minutes of the half. The All-Stars were able to put up one more of their own, but it wasn’t enough to take the lead. The final score was 27-15 for the Selects. Flyhalf Danny Giannascoli was 3/3 on conversion attempts.

The Warriors Selects remain at home for their final game of the 2020 fall season. They will play Legacy Rugby next Saturday, Nov. 21 at 1:00pm MST. Tickets are limited and can be purchased at www.warriorsrugby.com/warriors-selects-matches/. These tickets also grant access to the live, socially-distanced Warriors 2021 MLR team announcement show, which will take place at Zions Bank Stadium right before the match. The show will begin at 12:30pm MST.

SCORING SUMMARY: Selects vs. MPD All-Stars (Nov. 14, 2020)

35’ MPD penalty kick 3

40’+4 Penalty kick 3 (Selects)

Halftime Score: Selects — 3 MPD All-Stars — 3

49’ Lance Williams 5, 2 (Selects)

56’ Joe Mano 5, 2 (Selects)

64’ MPD 5

69’ Penalty kick 3 (Selects)

72’ James Mocke 5, 2 (Selects)

77’ MPD 5, 2

Final Score: Selects — 27 MPD — 15

Utah Warriors Selects roster:

1 Samuel Ciancutti

2 Mike Payne

3 Elijah Hayes

4 David Perez

5 James Mocke

6 Thomas Tu’avao

7 Mike Gieselman

8 Charlie Hola

9 Danny Christensen

10 Danny Giannascoli

11 Aaron Wade

12 Dominik Toluono

13 Sione Tau’ataina

14 Logan Tago

15 James Vaifale

16 Scott Strong

17 Alex Tucci

18 Zephir Lambert

19 Lance Williams

20 Jagger Wall

21 Cumorah Saulala

22 Dylan James

23 Joe Mano

Coaches: Brandon Sparks (Dir. of Rugby), Vaha Esikia (Backs/Attack), Derek Smith (Forwards/Defense)