By Jonny Richardson
On May 9 at Canyon Crest Academy, the San Diego Growlers hosted the Atlanta Hustle for a highly anticipated first-ever matchup in the South Division. The offenses had some early hiccups as the teams turned the disc over in the first few points, but were still able to hold and largely found a rhythm thereafter. The Growlers first score featured a highlight worthy grab from Matt Miller who used an athletic top tap in the back of the end zone to secure the goal. San Diego and Atlanta deployed a balanced attack with quick disc movement which did not allow any breaks by the defense. Marcel Osborne supplied 2 assists and 1 goal in the quarter, and the teams traded holds until San Diego was unable to convert their end of quarter attempt and were down early, 6-5.
Both teams continued to exchange offensive holds in the second quarter until the Hustle capitalized on a couple Growlers throwaways for the first breaks of the game, 10-7. Current UCSD teammates Max Gibson and Tynan Sander stopped the bleeding with a score, but two possessions later Atlanta broke again. Daniel Brunker found Khalif El-Salaam for a goal and San Diego's defense prevented an end of quarter score to go into halftime trailing by three, 12-9.
The Growlers opened the third quarter with their first break of the night, scoring on a deep throw from Kobi McCracken to El-Salaam, who rose up for a skying catch that provided a much needed spark and energized the team. San Diego secured another break with a Stefan Samu to Max Hume connection with 6:08 remaining to pull within one goal. However, Atlanta proceeded to hold and stole a break with two seconds left on the clock after a San Diego miscue to maintain a three score lead, 16-13.
Even though the Growlers found themselves behind, they stuck to the game plan and kept plugging away. Matt Miller continued to steer the offense and started the fourth quarter with assists to Travis Dunn and KJ Koo. The Growlers pulled within one goal after an interception by Ben Levinsky and a break score from Isamu Kawaguchi, 17-16. The teams traded 2 goals, and the next possession featured 3 turnovers, 2 timeouts, injury subs, and eventually a Stefan Samu block and a break score by Gibson to tie the game at 19-19 with 10 seconds remaining! As time ticked down on their final possession, Atlanta’s Adam Miller sent a 77-yard backhand throw into a sea of players where Dean Ramsey reached above the crowd to snag the improbable win at the buzzer. This hard fought battle between South Division foes was full of big plays and drama, and the Growlers will be hungry for the rematch in Atlanta on May 24, the UFA Game of the Week!
Khalif El-Salaam led the comeback bid with five goals and 1 assist for a team-leading +6 performance, and Marcel Osborne was exceptionally balanced with 2 goals, 3 assists, and 2 blocks for a +5 game. Travis Dunn's three assists tied longtime teammate and current San Diego Coach Goose Helton for third most assists in UFA history (390).
Up next, the San Diego Growlers host the Los Angeles Aviators for the third time in four games on Friday, May 16 at Canyon Crest Academy. Tickets can be purchased online and fans can also stream all games on WatchUFA.tv.
