With the stakes at their highest, the San Diego Growlers dug deep and pulled out their first postseason win in program history over the Los Angeles Aviators, their in-region rivals. Despite losing their lead late in the third quarter, the Growlers rallied with one of the best fourth quarters the team has ever played to end the game with a convincing 25-21 victory.
It all started in San Diego’s favor. Not only was the team playing on their home field, they also had the mental edge -- holding a 3-1 series lead over LA. Once the game started, it was clear to see that this edge was mattering on the field, too. San Diego’s offense, molded with the resilience and steadfast indomitability of volcanic rock, was too much for Los Angeles to take down. The Aviators tried a number of different defensive schemes to slow San Diego to little success. The downfield core of Travis Dunn, Jonathan Helton, Wes Groth, and Jesse Cohen kept the disc moving with ease, rarely rattled by anything LA threw at them. On the defensive end, it took awhile for the Growlers defense to get going, but once they did, LA’s backfield started forcing blady throws that made it impossible for their receivers to bring down.
Heading into the half, San Diego led by two points, and were in the perfect position to ride out their lead to the win.
Los Angeles had other plans.
The calm, patient offense that the Growlers had exuded in the first half was replaced with an almost blasé faire attitude to moving the disc downfield. Just a few minutes into the third quarter, San Diego’s lead fell away completely. Their backfield, centered by Michael Tran and Tim Okita, looked particularly flustered, making uncharacteristic mistakes when trying to move the disc too quickly. Los Angeles continued to apply pressure, and stole the lead from San Diego by aggressively attacking the deep space after causing a turnover. The confidence and composure that the Growlers played with all game seemingly vanished in an instant. The Growlers were able to tie the game by the end of the third quarter, but their victory was no longer assured.
Between the third and fourth quarter, coach Kevin Stuart said something to the team that was the equivalent of a b12 injection because the Growlers played like a new team. The fire that had brought them to a 10-2 regular season record was back just as Los Angeles was running out of juice. With San Diego’s energy rising and the Los Angeles fading, the fourth quarter was all San Diego.
Thanks to a strong showing from San Diego’s defensive unit, including great marking defense from players like Nathan Bridges, Josh Kohl, Scott Radlauer, and Steven Milardovich, the Growlers outscored the Aviators 5-2 in the fourth. The Growler defense showed it all in the final 12 minutes: handblocks, reset defense, skying grabs, and layout blocks.
When the final buzzer sounded, the Growlers led 25-21, earning them the win and their spot at Championship weekend.
This is the program’s first postseason win, and their first chance to take the national title early next month. San Diego has exceeded expectations this year, flooring the media and pundits alike. At the beginning of the season, the Growlers were expected to remain in the middle of the West, and was ranked 12th in the entire nation. Now, they have won the West, and finished the regular season with the 3rd best record in the league. An impressive showing from such a young squad, and a true source of pride for San Diego sports.
