The Aviators had it in their hands.

With a two-score lead and 4:03 left in the fourth quarter, Los Angeles was in control to get its second straight win. 

But the Austin Sol came to play and showed why they came into the matchup atop the South Division with a 4-0 record. After two straight Los Angeles breaks, Austin sent out a new-look O-line which only featured three players from the previous two points.

The “do-or-die” O-line handled business for the Sol, scoring one of their fastest holds of the day in a quick 42 seconds. Now trailing by one and needing two breaks to win, Austin blazed through Los Angeles and put up two points in the span of 30 seconds.

Sol’s pair of late-game breaks gave the road team the win as they held on for a one-goal win, starting their roadtrip with a thrilling 18-17 victory.

An intense mark from Jack Dowling forced an Aviators throwaway, allowing Austin to score the game-tying break within 15 seconds of the turnover after Dowling found his way to the endzone. The Sol brought down similar defensive pressure after the ensuing pull, resulting in a foot block from Connor DeLuna that put Austin on the doorstep for the go-ahead break.

With 2:16 left on the clock, the Aviators did have plenty of time to tie it up with a hold and hope for overtime. But LA left just enough time on the clock for the Sol to get a hold of their own after the Aviators spent 1:34 on a 40-yard score from James Franklin to Mitchell Steiner.

To get its second win in a row, Los Angeles needed to get just one more break, something it had already done a season-high eight times. The Sol played calm and collected though, exhibiting strong cuts as they moved up the field.

After putting a double team on Kyle Henke — who is second on the team in scores — the eight-year UFA veteran found the poached Jackson Potts and hit him with a blade into the back-right corner to effectively win the game. Los Angeles only had time for one throw on the next point, a sling from Garrett Santi from the goal line which did not reach the other end zone.

The loss, although crushing given Los Angeles’ lead, showed the improvements the Aviators have been making throughout the season.

LA’s defense was stellar against Austin, resulting in the eight breaks. The Aviators did produce the third-most blocks they had all season, but it was their conversion rate which was the most impressive. Their 42% success rate would be third across the UFA if it were across the entire season.

But the Sol showed similar strength, securing eight breaks of their own at a 40% clip. While Austin had great defense with 10 blocks, the Aviators had an additional 10 turnovers in one of their more lackluster offensive performances this season.

After two straight games with a hold percentage of over 60%, Los Angeles came out and produced its second-lowest hold percentage this season at 45%. 

While the performance from the offense might seem concerning, there are multiple silver linings. Despite committing a high number of turnovers, the Aviators only lost by one and had multiple leads throughout the game against the only undefeated team in the UFA with five or more wins.

LA has a 1-5 record at the halfway point of the season, but the second half will pose a much easier schedule. The Aviators will play Austin and the San Diego Growlers again — two teams with a combined 11-3 record — but the other teams they play have a 6-21 mark between the four of them. 

If Sean McDougall and company can start to play more complementary frisbee, Los Angeles can try and make a push for the playoffs if other teams suffer late-season collapses.

The Aviators have two weeks until their next game and nearly a month before their next home game. Los Angeles ships up to the Pacific Northwest to face the Steel on June 20th and the Cascades on the 21st. You can catch both games on watchufa.tv.