They’ve risen up against the Rise. They’ve taken the Thrill to the limit.
The San Diego Mojo will take on the Atlanta Vibe on Saturday at Viejas Arena looking to get theirs back. The Mojo is 1-4 early in their inaugural year in the Pro Volleyball Federation, and a good showing on the back end of their five-match homestand could go a long way toward turning the season around.
The Mojo will play twice at Viejas Arena in three days. After hosting the Vibe, the club will return to Viejas on Monday night for a match against the Grand Rapids Rise. Both matches start at 7 p.m.
The Mojo (1-4) already have history with both clubs. The Vibe swept San Diego on Feb. 1 in the Mojo’s first-ever match. The Mojo logged their first-ever victory as a franchise Feb. 23 against the Rise.
San Diego took the Las Vegas Thrill to five sets on Thursday before falling 23-25, 20-25, 25-19, 29-27, 11-15 at Viejas. Lindsey Vander Weide led the Mojo with 21 kills; La Costa Canyon High School grad Morgan Lewis added 19.
Schedule: Saturday vs. Atlanta Vibe (4-3), 7 p.m. (streaming live at Youtube.com/@realprovb); Monday vs. Grand Rapids Rise (3-2), 7 p.m. (streaming live at Youtube.com/@realprovb).
Legion open 2024 season at Seattle
The San Diego Legion finished just inches short of a Major League Rugby championship last summer. After an offseason spent bulking up their roster with international stars, the Legion will open the 2024 season on Saturday. Their match against the Seattle Seawolves starts at 7 p.m. at Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Wash.
Saturday marks a rematch of the July 2 Western Conference Final, which the Legion won 32-10 at Snapdragon Stadium. Ma’a Nonu delivered just the third drop goal in MLR postseason history to get the scoring started, and the Legion won in a rout.
The victory capped an undefeated home slate for the Legion and moved them on to the next week’s MLR Championship, which they lost 25-24 to the New England Free Jacks.
Nicknamed “The Legend,” Nonu is back for 2024, as is captain Blair Cowan.
“Ma’a had a major influence on our team last season on and off the field and was a major factor in us having a very successful season, playing in the MLR final and us breaking club and League records along the way,” coach Danny Lee said in a news release. “We go again.”
Schedule: Saturday at Seattle Seawolves, 7 p.m. The Legion are hosting watch parties at Ballast Point Miramar and at The Local in Pacific Beach.
Sockers host Empire, Savage
The first-place San Diego Sockers will host a pair of matches over the weekend, starting with Friday night’s showdown against the Empire Strykers at 7:35 p.m. The Sockers have won all three matches against the Strykers this season, outscoring the club 24-16. Friday is Star Wars Night at Pechanga Arena.
Sunday brings a MASL showdown against the second-place Chihuahua Savage. The match starts at 5:05 p.m.; some fans in attendance will receive free Sockers hats.
The Sockers are led by Brandon Escoto, who ranks third in the MASL with 21 goals. Tavoy Morgan has 19.
At 14-3, the Sockers are comfortably ahead in the standings. But they’re coming off Sunday’s 9-4 loss to the Kansas City Comets at Pechanga — the worst regular-season home defeat in club history. Kansas City scored five goals in the third quarter alone.
Schedule: Friday vs. Empire Strykers (3-13), 7:35 p.m. (streaming live on Twitch at @masl_soccer); Monday vs. Chihuahua Savage (10-5), 5:05 p.m. (streaming live on Twitch @masl_soccer).
Seals return home Saturday
The first-place San Diego Seals posted one of their most dramatic victories of the season last week, rallying to beat the Georgia Swarm on, fittingly, Marvel Super Hero Night.
The Seals will return to Pechanga Arena on Saturday to take on the Toronto Rock at 7 p.m. The home game will come a little more than 24 hours after Friday night’s late game against the Panther City Lacrosse Club in Fort Worth, Texas.
The Seals (14-4 before Friday) have played one other “back-to-back” this season, losing to the Desert Dogs in Las Vegas on Jan. 12 before beating the Mammoth one night later in Colorado.
San Diego is led by Austin Staats, whose 29 goals are tied for third most in the National Lacrosse League.
Schedule: Saturday vs. Toronto Rock (13-5), 7 p.m.
Reeling Gulls try to get unstuck
The San Diego Gulls will try to snap a six-game winless streak starting Friday night, when they take on the Reign in Ontario. They’ll return home Monday to take on the Bakersfield Condors at Pechanga Arena. Both games start at 7 p.m.
San Diego (18-23-8-0) hasn’t won a game since Feb. 10; in the six games since, the Gulls have been outscored 22-12. The team fell Tuesday and Wednesday at the Texas Stars, falling 3-1 and 4-3. Glenn Gawdin scored his 16th goal of the season in Wednesday’s one-goal loss.
Schedule: Friday at Ontario Reign (26-19-3-3), 7 p.m. (streaming live at AHL.TV); Monday vs. Bakersfield Condors (27-17-2-2), 7 p.m. (streaming live at AHL.TV).
