Tacoma Defiance’s latest road trip sends them down the coast to the southernmost reaches of California. Sunday’s match against San Diego Loyal (3 PM PT, ESPN+) is not the opportunity for Tacoma to retake a higher playoff position, but they can close the gap. Third place (10-9-4, +4) San Diego are four points up on fourth place (8-7-6, -1) Defiance.
Wade Webber’s team does have two games in hand against Loyal and three against Orange County. That benefit only matters if Defiance take points from the higher seeds and beat the lower ones. It also means short rest for Tacoma’s talent, as the remaining schedule has four double-match weeks in the remaining six to be played.