Austin outlasts San Diego in 21-20 double-overtime thriller to stay unbeaten

Austin’s unbeaten run survived its sharpest edges again on June 19, when the Sol edged the San Diego Growlers 21-20 in double overtime at The Pitch. The result kept Austin at 8-0 and turned a showcase matchup into another exam of whether the Sol are merely winning or truly learning how to finish when every possession tightens.

Austin looked in control early, jumping out to a 6-2 lead, but San Diego kept finding ways back into the game. Ultiworld’s Week 9 recap noted that the Growlers answered with a four-goal run in the fourth quarter to draw even, turning the final stretch into a sequence of high-leverage points where field position, fatigue, and discipline mattered as much as throwing skill. Joey Wylie’s pack-sky score, featured in the Week 9 recap photo caption, was one of the plays that gave Austin a breathing room it never fully earned.

San Diego had its own standout in Max Combs, who finished with 2 assists, 4 goals, 3 blocks, and no turnovers. That line explained why the Growlers pushed the Sol all the way to a second overtime and why the final score felt like more than a simple one-goal loss. Austin and San Diego had already played a thriller on June 5, when Austin won 23-22 in overtime, and the rematch produced nearly the same script: a tight scoreline, no margin for error, and no clean separation until the last possession.

The win also kept Austin in rare company. As of June 23, the Sol were one of only two undefeated teams in the UFA, alongside Minnesota, and they had already survived three one-goal games and one two-goal game without taking a loss. That is the real story behind the perfect record: Austin has not just played well, it has repeatedly absorbed late pressure and escaped anyway.

The South Division picture makes the result even heavier. Austin’s 2026 schedule was ranked easiest in the league at .362 opponents’ win percentage, while San Diego’s sat among the hardest at .438, and the Growlers remained alive for one of the division’s final playoff spots alongside Atlanta. The South has changed hands every year since 2023, when Austin won it, followed by Carolina in 2024 and Atlanta in 2025, and San Diego’s return to form after missing Championship Weekend by one game last season gave this one another layer. Austin still has Carolina and Atlanta on the road July 10 and 11, and this double-overtime escape was a reminder that the unbeaten record will keep inviting stress tests until someone finally breaks it.