By Aaron Wilson
Celebrating another hard-earned victory, team captain Nathan Den Hoedt reflected on how the Houston SaberCats defeated a previously unbeaten squad for the second time this season.
The SaberCats manufactured a 34-14 win over the San Diego Legion at home Saturday night. Now, both Western Conference Division teams hold the same 5-1 record as they battle for playoff seeding.
This marked the SaberCats’ fifth consecutive win since a season-opening loss to the Chicago Hounds.
“Obviously, it is a big win,” Den Hoedt said. “There’s no denying that. We worked very hard this week. We knew that San Diego was going to bring a lot and they certainly did. We had a great week of prep. I still think there’s a few things we can work on, but there is no denying it was a big win.”
The SaberCats built a 17-7 halftime lead and extended their advantage in the second half.
Davy Coetzer led the team with a dozen points, including a try and a penalty goal.
Andre Warner was named the Man of the Match as he had a try and contributed 72 passes.
“As a Man of the Match, it means your forwards had a great game,” Warner said. “I think the boys stepped up big-time. We have awesome leaders. We tackled well. They’re a big, physical team. We have a lot of respect for San Diego. We knew we had to be physical, and we did it.”
Earlier this season, the SaberCats handed the Utah Warriors their first loss.
“I think the talk all week was to focus on ourselves,” said Emmanuel Albert, who was honored after the match for his 50th Cap achievement. “Obviously, we have a lot of respect for them. We know what we can do. We tried to focus on ourselves and be physical and play to our potential.I think we pulled together as a team, followed the game plan and had good execution for an overall team effort. We knew it would be a tough challenge and we came out and did what we had to do.
“It’s just another win for us. It definitely means a lot. At the end of the day, we have to keep pushing and keep gelling and keep going for that shield.”
A.J. Alatimu scored on a penalty goal for the SaberCats’ final points as they held off the Legion.
Sam Tuifua led the team with 18 carries and 106 meters made.
Pono Davis had two offloads along with Tuifua.
And Drew Wild beat five defenders.
“Big win,” Tuifua said. “Definitely our emphasis was on being physical.”
The SaberCats celebrated International Night with a raucous post-game social that included some dancing.
“We have great fans and such a diverse team,” Warner said. “It’s awesome.We have a diverse fan group, and it was fun.”
