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The San Diego Growlers move to from West to South Division
Showing their teeth
The Growlers looked to play playoff spoilers in Atlanta.
This season, the San Diego Growlers professional ultimate frisbee team wasn't supposed to get as far as it did. Along with the Los Angeles Aviators, the team was moved from the West Division to the stacked South Division of the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) — a league move that was necessary to balance said divisions when Dallas’ squad folded just before the season.
Fast forward to the final week of regular season play, when the Growlers upset the Carolina Flyers in a double overtime match that determined the UFA's final playoff spot. (This was the first time that Carolina didn’t make the playoffs in the team’s history.)
For the first round of the playoffs, the Growlers flew to Austin, where they proceeded to throw a dagger into the Sol’s season with a 25-19 victory. Coming off road wins in Carolina and Austin, they were gelling at just the right time.
Looking to continue in the role of postseason spoiler, the Growlers readied to face the number one seeded Atlanta Hustle — for the third time in the season. In the previous two meetings, the Growlers suffered a couple of close heartbreakers. In one of the losses, they were nationally humiliated by a Hail Mary that made it on SportCenter’s Top Ten, losing by one goal. They remembered that moment going into playoff weekend in Atlanta.
“There’s been a budding rivalry between us and Atlanta with how the games have gone,” Growlers co-owner Justin Goodman said. “We’re the new kids on the block. First year making the playoffs [in the new division] when no one really gave us a chance.” (When they were part of the West, the Growlers clinched playoff berths in four of their ten years of play.)
Despite the losses, they had reason for hope. For the past three seasons, the Atlanta Hustle had choked their way out of championship contention in the same playoff round they’d be playing the Growlers. To get to championship weekend in Madison, Wisconsin on August 22-23, they would need to beat the “new kids on the block” for that third time. Atlanta held the home field advantage, but the monkey on their back was noticeably visible to the entire league, and Cinderella was coming to town.
Streaming on UFA’s YouTube channel, fans were given the South Division Championship game live and free on August 8. Typically, an $11.99 per month subscription is required. But as a fan perk, games are free to watch live on Fridays all season long. The Growlers vs. Hustle game just so happened to fall on that fateful Friday.
A game recap: Known for their well-oiled offense, the Hustle came out uncharacteristically flat. In a chippy matchup, the Growlers jumped ahead with a 4-2 first quarter lead. (Like American football, games are divided into four quarters with a halftime.) But that lead quickly fizzled as Atlanta roared back on a 8-2 tear. The Hustle then controlled the rest of the game, except for a late away-team rally that had the game knotted at 14 for a moment. The Growlers were then deflated when their opponents when on another late run. The final score was 22-18. The Hustle had finally cleared the playoff hurdle, and the Growlers were sent back on a plane to San Diego. But not without showing the South Division their teeth.
Following the loss, Goodman offered: “That was a tough game because even though Atlanta is a great team and deserved to win, I felt like we let the game slip through our fingers, literally, with some of the uncharacteristic drops. Such is sports sometimes.”
Looking ahead, finding a new home field to play is a matter of importance for the Growlers. They've played on the Mission Bay High School football field since their inception, but ownership is looking to find some new grass. Also a new sponsor: named after the grey coyote and the local San Diego craft beer scene, the team has yet to secure a beer sponsorship, partly due to the prohibition of beer on High School campuses.
Even without the beer, Goodman told me the team averages about 400-500 fans per game. “It’s a good venue for us in terms of how full we get those stands. But I think, ideally, we’d like to make a jump to a college-style stadium. Getting the right venue is so key. Places like Madison and Minnesota can sell beer. It attracts fans. We definitely want to extend our fan base.”
Here's something you might be interested in.
The San Diego Growlers move to from West to South Division
Showing their teeth
The San Diego Growlers move to from West to South Division
Showing their teeth
The Growlers looked to play playoff spoilers in Atlanta.
This season, the San Diego Growlers professional ultimate frisbee team wasn't supposed to get as far as it did. Along with the Los Angeles Aviators, the team was moved from the West Division to the stacked South Division of the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) — a league move that was necessary to balance said divisions when Dallas’ squad folded just before the season.
Fast forward to the final week of regular season play, when the Growlers upset the Carolina Flyers in a double overtime match that determined the UFA's final playoff spot. (This was the first time that Carolina didn’t make the playoffs in the team’s history.)
For the first round of the playoffs, the Growlers flew to Austin, where they proceeded to throw a dagger into the Sol’s season with a 25-19 victory. Coming off road wins in Carolina and Austin, they were gelling at just the right time.
Looking to continue in the role of postseason spoiler, the Growlers readied to face the number one seeded Atlanta Hustle — for the third time in the season. In the previous two meetings, the Growlers suffered a couple of close heartbreakers. In one of the losses, they were nationally humiliated by a Hail Mary that made it on SportCenter’s Top Ten, losing by one goal. They remembered that moment going into playoff weekend in Atlanta.
“There’s been a budding rivalry between us and Atlanta with how the games have gone,” Growlers co-owner Justin Goodman said. “We’re the new kids on the block. First year making the playoffs [in the new division] when no one really gave us a chance.” (When they were part of the West, the Growlers clinched playoff berths in four of their ten years of play.)
Despite the losses, they had reason for hope. For the past three seasons, the Atlanta Hustle had choked their way out of championship contention in the same playoff round they’d be playing the Growlers. To get to championship weekend in Madison, Wisconsin on August 22-23, they would need to beat the “new kids on the block” for that third time. Atlanta held the home field advantage, but the monkey on their back was noticeably visible to the entire league, and Cinderella was coming to town.
Streaming on UFA’s YouTube channel, fans were given the South Division Championship game live and free on August 8. Typically, an $11.99 per month subscription is required. But as a fan perk, games are free to watch live on Fridays all season long. The Growlers vs. Hustle game just so happened to fall on that fateful Friday.
A game recap: Known for their well-oiled offense, the Hustle came out uncharacteristically flat. In a chippy matchup, the Growlers jumped ahead with a 4-2 first quarter lead. (Like American football, games are divided into four quarters with a halftime.) But that lead quickly fizzled as Atlanta roared back on a 8-2 tear. The Hustle then controlled the rest of the game, except for a late away-team rally that had the game knotted at 14 for a moment. The Growlers were then deflated when their opponents when on another late run. The final score was 22-18. The Hustle had finally cleared the playoff hurdle, and the Growlers were sent back on a plane to San Diego. But not without showing the South Division their teeth.
Following the loss, Goodman offered: “That was a tough game because even though Atlanta is a great team and deserved to win, I felt like we let the game slip through our fingers, literally, with some of the uncharacteristic drops. Such is sports sometimes.”
Looking ahead, finding a new home field to play is a matter of importance for the Growlers. They've played on the Mission Bay High School football field since their inception, but ownership is looking to find some new grass. Also a new sponsor: named after the grey coyote and the local San Diego craft beer scene, the team has yet to secure a beer sponsorship, partly due to the prohibition of beer on High School campuses.
Even without the beer, Goodman told me the team averages about 400-500 fans per game. “It’s a good venue for us in terms of how full we get those stands. But I think, ideally, we’d like to make a jump to a college-style stadium. Getting the right venue is so key. Places like Madison and Minnesota can sell beer. It attracts fans. We definitely want to extend our fan base.”
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