By Noam Gumerman
Somehow, the Carolina Flyers and Atlanta Hustle almost outdid their double-overtime classic from earlier in the season with a 21-20 overtime thriller in Durham Friday Night. The loss just about eliminates Atlanta from the playoff picture and ensures that the July 10 clash between the Flyers and undefeated Austin Sol will still have big implications for the South Division title and bye through the first round of the playoffs.
The game started off slow for the Flyers. The offense was okay. They operated in spurts of efficiency but had some letdowns in execution and communication. However, the defense failed to generate a single break opportunity throughout the entire half. They were completely unable to generate pressure on an Atlanta O-line that seemed to know they had to be close to perfect in order to keep the Hustle in the playoff hunt. And every time it seemed like the Flyers' defense was close to generating a turnover, they committed a foul to bail the Hustle out.
The script was completely flipped in the second half. The Flyers D-line came out flying to start, immediately erasing a 10-8 halftime deficit through increased intensity and forcing the Hustle to play out of the sideline double team, which they really struggled with. Zeke Thoreson began to slowly take over the game for the Flyers on offense as well. With players like Jacob Fairfax and Grayson Sanner competing for the league lead in goals scored at times this season, it’s understandable that teams may overlook the young star, but even as Atlanta rolled different looks out on him there was no slowing the 2026 Callahan Award winner down.
Thoreson finished with 5G/3A/2B/0T and 740 total yards, over 110 more than the next most from either team. Not to mention two or three electric grabs in the end zone to get the crowd and his teammates going. Feeding him the disc most often was his former college teammate and fellow late-season Flyers addition, Tobias Brooks, who led both teams with assists (6) and completions (63).
Atlanta rose to the occasion, though, and steadied things in the fourth quarter. They even had a chance to win the game after the Flyers turned the disc over needlessly with under ten seconds left at around half-field. Only for the Hustle to give the disc right back and for the Flyers to try an 80-yard Hail Mary that they were unable to complete.
In overtime, Drew Swanson was the man who came up biggest. After three holds, two for Carolina, one for Atlanta, Swanson made an incredible defensive play on Brett Hulsmeyer to take the disc away before catching a Brayden Morrison hammer over Alec Wilson Holiday on the next throw, before dishing the only break over the overtime period and the dagger score for Carolina to put the game out of reach.
The Flyers close out the regular season at home with a huge game against the Austin Sol. They are guaranteed at least one home playoff game, but the game on July 10 (right before the Sol play the Hustle on the 11th) will go a long way toward determining whether it will be a first-round matchup (likely against San Diego) or the Division Championship game.
