soulfly Says Aurora Solved Crowd Pressure Issues Ahead of PGL Astana Playoffs

Aurora player Caner “soulfly” Kesici believes the team has finally overcome its struggles with crowd pressure after qualifying for the PGL Astana 2026 playoffs with a 2-0 victory over The MongolZ.

The Turkish side secured the final playoff spot after surviving difficult starts on both maps, setting up a quarter-final rematch against MOUZ. The result came just days after Aurora missed their first opportunity to qualify following a loss to MOUZ in the Swiss stage.

Speaking after the win, soulfly admitted Aurora’s players had previously struggled to stay vocal and confident in high-pressure arena matches.

“We were scared to do some moves. People become more silent than normal, and I think we fixed that.”

The rifler explained that the team held serious discussions after the MOUZ defeat and recognized that they were not playing at their real level.

“The MOUZ game slapped us in the face.”

According to soulfly, the loss helped Aurora reset mentally before their elimination match against The MongolZ.

Aurora complete comeback against The MongolZ

Aurora showed resilience throughout the series. On Overpass, the team recovered from a 2-7 deficit before securing a narrow 13-11 victory. Mirage followed a similar pattern, with Aurora taking control late in the game to close the map 13-10 and sweep the series 2-0.

soulfly delivered one of his strongest performances of the tournament, finishing the series with a 1.38 rating and 82 ADR. Veteran AWPer Özgür “woxic” Eker also played a crucial role, winning multiple clutches during key moments of the match.

HLTV additionally reported that Aurora introduced a new sports psychologist before the tournament, a move that may have contributed to the team’s improved mental game and communication under pressure.

soulfly continues adapting to Aurora system

Since joining Aurora, soulfly has repeatedly spoken about adapting his playstyle to fit the team’s structure. Earlier this season, he described himself as “a soldier” willing to take any role necessary to help the roster succeed.

The 21-year-old has also praised teammate İsmailcan “XANTARES” Dörtkardeş, previously saying that playing with the Turkish superstar feels “kind of like playing with wallhack” because of his reads and game sense.

Aurora captain Engin “MAJ3R” Küpeli has echoed similar thoughts in past interviews, explaining that the team still needed to eliminate recurring playoff mistakes while integrating soulfly into a more supportive role.

Aurora to face MOUZ in PGL Astana playoffs

Aurora’s playoff qualification now sets up a highly anticipated rematch against MOUZ, the same team that previously denied them an early playoff berth.

The quarter-final will give Aurora a chance to prove that their improved mentality can translate into success on the arena stage against one of the world’s top CS2 teams.

For soulfly and Aurora, the playoffs may become the ultimate test of whether their crowd-pressure problems are truly solved.