Old Glory DC came into the weekend needing a statement win—and they delivered. After dropping three straight, OGDC faced a fatigued Utah Warriors squad playing their third match in just eight days. With playoff pressure mounting in a crowded Eastern Conference, Old Glory responded with a wire-to-wire performance, dispatching Utah 28-12 in front of a fired-up home crowd.
Jason Emery opened the scoring in the fifth minute, slotting a penalty kick from just outside the 22 after Utah’s first scrum infringement—a theme that would continue all night. Moments later, OGDC struck again. Off a sharp scrum move, Damien Hoyland drew in the defense and offloaded to Perry Humphreys who broke a tackle and finished in the corner, pushing the lead to 8-0 by the 12th minute.
Old Glory dictated possession and tempo, consistently forcing Utah to defend deep in their own half. After a sustained period of pressure and a kick to the corner, the forwards went to work. A powerful maul followed by a series of tight pick-and-go carries ended with Tevita Naqali slamming the ball down for another DC try.
With Utah reeling and a yellow card reducing them to 14 men, OGDC continued to pile on. After hammering away in the red zone, Old Glory finally broke through with a sweeping counterattack. Utah kicked out of their own end and DC shifted the ball to the opposite side of the field. Crisp inside-outside passing opened space for John Rizzo on the edge, who finished expertly to push the lead to 20-0 before halftime.
DC kept their foot on the gas early in the second half. Crowd favorite Jamason Fa’anana-Schultz powered over from close range after a Utah penalty at the five-meter mark, securing the bonus-point try and stretching the lead to 25-0.
Utah found some life with two tries in the middle of the half, but the outcome was never in doubt. Emery added another penalty in the 70th minute to ice the match, sealing a much-needed 28-12 victory for OGDC.
The story of the night? Pressure and consistency. Old Glory never let Utah settle into the match, applying relentless defensive heat and dominating at the scrum. It was the kind of complete performance that could reignite DC’s playoff push.
Next up: a crucial midweek showdown with Eastern Conference rival NOLA Gold. With playoff spots on the line, every point counts. The match kicks off Tuesday, May 13th at 6 p.m. ET at George Mason University Stadium as part of Old Glory’s Military Appreciation Night. Don’t miss one of the final home matches of the regular season—come out and support the squad!
