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The Hustle fall on the road. Ain't no place like home.
Your Atlanta Hustle showed this week that we will fight under any conditions. We were prepared for the high temperature and humidity that comes with away games in Jacksonville, but the field was well shaded and temperatures were not exceptionally high throughout the game.
We traveled to Jacksonville with a smaller roster, light on some of our key players such as offensive weapons Dylan Tunnell and Jay Clark. Not only were we missing players before our trip, but key defensive cog, Jack Krieger, fell victim to a knee injury and was advised to sit the game as well.
Regardless, our entire team came out of the gate ready to win. Despite everyone filling new roles, individuals stepped up their games to meet the challenge. Offensive ace Kyle Stapleton was striking deep all day. Matt Smith added another 5 goals and added 2 assists.
We traded points up until a 3-4 score. Our D-line, led by Michael Spear and Frank Wooten, generated turns but we could not convert our break opportunities. Minor miscues led to a couple Cannon breaks, resulting in a 4-7 score to end the first Quarter.
The second quarter was much the same, with us achieving one more break and then trading out the clock. We converted yet ANOTHER buzzer beater to send us into half with a positive outlook and calm demeanor.
Out of half we traded back and forth for the first ten points. We took another blow when we lost the steady hands and great mark of Matthew Knowles to a hamstring injury. Mark Poole displayed great toughness and leadership playing through an ankle injury.
Although our coaching staff put together a near perfect scouting report that played out just as they predicted (Jax’s big guys doing big things), we could not execute our preparation efficiently enough to come home with a W.
Eventually, we succumbed to a few more Cannon breaks leading to a 15-20 score. Our O-line, feeling the clock winding down, tried to speed up our scoring tempo. In true Hustle fashion, we grinded for the entire 48 minutes and ended the game with a break. We are really proud of how everyone stepped to the line to lift each other up and fill the shoes of our missing assets.
The whole team is looking forward to coming home to our fans for our Friday 5/29 night game vs the Charlotte Express.
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Next Home game: After a bye week, over Memorial day, the Hustle will return to Grady Stadium for a Friday night game under the lights and Atlanta Skyline. It's an 8pm 1st pull vs the Charlotte Express May 29th.
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