Raleigh Flyers (AUDL)
| Founded | 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | South | |||
| Stadium(s) |
Crusader Stadium (most games)[1] WakeMed Soccer Park[2] | |||
| Based in | Raleigh, North Carolina | |||
| Owner(s) |
Casey Degnan Sean Degnan Mike Denardis[3] | |||
| Head Coach | Mike Denardis[4] | |||
| Website | raleigh-flyers.com | |||
| ||||
This article is about the ultimate team, for information on the defunct soccer team see Raleigh Express.
The Raleigh Flyers are a professional ultimate team from Raleigh, North Carolina playing in the South Division of the American Ultimate Disc League.[5] The team was founded in 2015 and plays its home games primarily at Crusader Stadium on the campus of Cardinal Gibbons High School in Raleigh and occasionally at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary.
History
2015
The Flyers won the South Division in their inaugural season, with a record of 11–3. They earned a #1 seed in the AUDL South Division. In the Divisional Finals, they beat the Jacksonville Cannons 28–27 in double overtime to advance to nationals, where they were defeated 22–19 in the semifinals by the Madison Radicals. The Flyers signed the first ever female professional ultimate player, Jessi Jones, to play in their game against the Nashville Nightwatch in May 2015. Jones, who was a team USA U-23 player in 2013, was signed as part of "Women's Ultimate Day".[6]
2016
In 2016, the Flyers finished 9-5, which secured a #2 spot in the AUDL South Division, but were upset in the first round by the visiting #3 seed Atlanta Hustle, 23-25.
2017
With the folding of the Charlotte Express after the 2016 season, the Flyers signed eleven of Charlotte's former players (Matt Bode, Clint McSherry, Jesse Lieberman, Micah Hood, Jeff Nordgren, Taylor Minch, Nate Goff, Shane Sisco, Evan Howey, Jacob Fairfax, Charlie Muniz) as well as AUDL veterans Jonathan "Goose" Helton (Indianapolis AlleyCats, Chicago Wildfire, DC Breeze), Brett Matzuka (Chicago Wildfire, DC Breeze), and Mike Pannone (Rochester Dragons, Pittsburgh Riverhounds) for the 2017 season. The Flyers won the AUDL's first ever regular season cross-divisional match against the DC Breeze 23-21 in overtime on April 22, 2017 as part of the league's "Cross Coast Challenge".[7] The Raleigh Flyers won the South Division with a 13-1 regular season record, but fell to the Dallas Roughnecks in the first round.
2018
With the addition of Jakeem Polk, Andrew McKelvey, and Mischa Freystaetter, all previously of the Jacksonville Cannons to their roster, Raleigh was considered a strong pre-season contender, In addition to 12 divisional games, Raleigh played 2 cross-divisional games against the DC Breeze and Madison Radicals. Raleigh finished the regular season as the #2 seed in the South Division with 10 wins and 4 losses. After defeating the Austin Sol in the divisional play-off game 26-23, they lost to the Dallas Roughnecks 19-20 in the divisional championship game. The unfortunate loss against the Roughnecks marked the second year in a row Dallas had defeated this Raleigh Powerhouse in the south division finals.
Season by Season
| Year | Regular Season | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 11-3 | 1-1 (National semifinalist) |
| 2016 | 9-5 | 0-1 (Division semifinalist) |
| 2017 | 13-1 | 0-1 (Division finalist) |
| 2018 | 10-4 | 1-1 (Division finalist) |
All-Time Record by Opponent
This table reflects games through the end of the 2017 regular season.
| Opponent | Regular Season | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|
| Nashville Nightwatch | 12-0 | |
| Charlotte Express (now defunct) | 7-0 | |
| Madison Radicals | 1-0 | 0-1 |
| Tampa Bay Cannons | 11-2 | 1-0 |
| Austin Sol | 4-2 | 1-0 |
| Atlanta Hustle | 5-4 | 0-1 |
| DC Breeze | 1-1 | |
| Dallas Roughnecks | 2-4 | 0-2 |
References
- ↑ http://raleigh-flyers.com/schedule/
- ↑ "Schedule". Retrieved July 27, 2015.
- ↑ "Ownership". Retrieved July 27, 2015.
- ↑ "Staff". Retrieved July 27, 2015.
- ↑ "About". Retrieved July 27, 2015.
- ↑ "Raleigh Flyers Sign First-Ever Female Pro Ultimate Player | Livewire | Ultiworld". Retrieved 2015-08-13.
- ↑
