Warriors head to New York for season finale

HERRIMAN — Despite being eliminated from playoff contention, determination is high for the Utah Warriors (9-6) as they head into their final match of the season this Sunday versus the New York Ironworkers (8-7).

Warriors coach Greg Cooper noted a rallying of the troops, so to speak, led by several veterans in the team’s preparations.

“Angus MacLellan delivered a bit of a talk to the boys on what ‘Utah Built’ meant to him, and I thought it was absolutely inspirational,” Cooper said. “He really talked about the importance of performing the best we can and a lot of other things that I think inspired a lot of guys to put forth a great performance this week.”

MacLellan is one of several Warriors players who has developed a lot of pride within the organization, wanting to put together a strong match to validate the hard work put in, not only for this season, but several seasons prior.

“If we get a win, then we equal the best win total we’ve had here,” Cooper said. “So that’s an improvement and will be a real positive for us.”

With the win, Utah will exit the season with a 10-6 mark, equaling its win total in the 2021 season which would be a big thing for all involved.

As for the Ironworkers, they present a stiff challenge despite having gone through a bit of a lull this season after winning the MLR championship a season ago.

“They had a midseason issue where they weren’t winning too many games, but I think they’ve started to get it together at the right time,” Cooper said. “So they’ll be buoyant and wanting to get a victory to assure themselves second place, and that will make it tough.”

As for the Warriors, the focus is on getting better and putting last week’s disappointing loss to the Chicago Hounds behind them.