ETSU Esports Rocket League team competed in their second series of the semester on Monday, Sept. 12, competing against the University of Cincinnati.
ETSU started out strong, winning game one 3-1 and game two 3-2. Sophomore Tyler ‘Bloo’ Gregory (Greenville, South Carolina) provided some great saves from the opponents who came out aggressively.
“We noticed in the beginning that they were playing really aggressive, so we had to play some strong defense whenever they were pushing us hard. Getting the clears were huge. Clearing the ball was what really got us out of defense and that’s how we scored every time,” said Gregory.
In game three, both teams were on each other’s tails, scoring back and forth points. Cincinnati pulled through in overtime on game three to win with a score of 4-3.
Game four was no different than game three with the constant scoring: Within the first minute of the game, ETSU’s freshman Landen Rogers (Scott County, Tennessee) scored the first point followed by a Cincinnati score, making the game tied 1-1 early on. The end score was 4-3 with Cincinnati taking the win.
Games two, three, and four went into overtime.
“I think they did a really good job of adapting to what we were doing. We kind of pulled in, got a little defensive instead of matching their aggression with aggression. In those moments it starts becoming a mental battle,” said Head Coach Jeff Shell.
Game five was the fight for the final game to win the series, with ETSU and Cincinnati tied 2-2. The Bucs fought back and in the end, Cincinnati took the win 4-1 and the series 3-2.
“Overall, it was a really nice series,” said Shell. “We always know the first couple of games at the start of every season are going to be a little bit more difficult because the team has only been on campus for about a month, and they are still coming together.”
ETSU Esports faces Northern Kentucky University on Monday, Sept. 19. There will be a watch party in the Cave at 7 p.m., and the game will be streamed on Twitch. You can find more information on Instagram @buccaneeresports or Twitter @etsuesports.
