SANDY – The Utah Warriors’ season finale at America First Field was billed as a “Warriors Fest” and celebration of Utah’s rugby history.

But perhaps it was also a microcosm of the Warriors' 2024 season.

Michael Manson's heroics couldn't make up for a slow start, and poorly executed lineouts and key missed kicks resulted in Utah ending the season with its 11th loss.

Manson scored two tries as the Warriors lost 31-24 to Rugby Football Club Los Angeles in front of a franchise-record 10,906 fans at America First Field on Friday night.

“There were many, many challenges and it would have been nice to finish with a good result,” Warriors coach Greg Cooper said after the game, as more than 10,000 fans stormed Real Salt Lake's home stadium to form the “biggest water polo field in the world” after a “really disappointing” result.

“For me, last impressions can be lasting impressions,” he added. “This was a wonderful occasion and I don't want to take anything away from it. Not as a coach, but I was delighted with what I saw here tonight – and it's going to be great. I think this occasion will contribute to the development of rugby in Utah.”

“As a coach, I stand here and I'm disappointed with the result and the season. But I'm not so disappointed with the job the Utah Warriors did this season. It was wonderful to see that out there today.”

Joe Mano, who also assisted on a try, scored in the eighth minute as the host Warriors (5-11, 35 points) could not keep up with bottom-place Los Angeles (5-10, 32 points), trailing 19-5 in the first half.

Manson worked some magic on the wing, taking a pass from Caleb Makene into the middle of the try zone before Joel Hodgson narrowed the deficit to 19-12 on the eve of half-time.

Los Angeles kept the Warriors at bay at the start of the second half and Rory Van Vugt gave the visitors a 26-12 lead with a conversion kick in the 63rd minute.

Just three minutes later, Makene scored the equalizer, taking a pass from Mano on the sidelines and bringing the Warriors back to single digits. In the 74th minute, Manson reduced the deficit to 26-24 with his second goal.

“He's had a great season. I think he's missed five games and he's still the best player in terms of tries,” Cooper said of Manson. “Having him on the field gives us a big advantage. I thought at times tonight we attacked really well – and it's always good to have him out there. Usually when you score four tries you win a game. So we need to get a few things right.”

Derek Adams dove over the goal line to score another Los Angeles try in the 78th minute, and Utah's season ended when they failed to convert a lineout in LA territory in the final seconds of the game.

Friday's game was not only the regular season finale, but also an opportunity to celebrate the rugby culture in the state of Utah. At halftime, the Warriors honored college, club and high school teams across the state.

It's the same history that hangs on the walls of Utah's new training facility and headquarters in Draper, including the collegiate national championships of BYU and the University of Utah, and the historic 20 national titles won by Highland Rugby under legendary head coach Larry Gelwix.

Gelwix, 73, finished his career as Highland's rugby coach with a record of 419-10 in 35 years and will be inducted into the USA Rugby Foundation Hall of Fame later this year for his service to the game.

“I think this state deserves to win a championship. That's what we want,” Cooper said. “I think we're going to do it right on the field going forward because we know from off the field what it can be like.”