Williamsburg, KY – UC esports continued their run in the 2020 NACE Fall Rocket League Tournament on Tuesday, facing off with Wayland Baptist and Lakeland University in rounds three and four. The Patriots managed their first single game win of the season in game three against Lakeland but would drop both best-of-five series.

Round 3
vs Wayland Baptist | L, 0-3 (5-4, 5-1, 3-1)

UC's first challenger was Wayland Baptist who would go on to sweep the Patriots, winning three straight games to claim round three. Match one saw improved offensive play from the Pats, who managed a steady offensive attack but would be edged out by the Pioneers 5-4. In the second match against Wayland, Jamison Gibson (skipper) scored the lone goal for the Patriots, as Wayland Baptist's offense surged, winning 5-1. Logan Smith managed a goal in match three before the Pioneers would score three straight goals, claiming the 3-1 victory and a series sweep.

Round 4
vs Lakeland University | L, 1-3 (5-4, 4-2, 3-2, 3-1)

The Patriots had more success in their round four matchup against Lakeland University, earning their first victory of the season in game three of the series. Match one included goals by a trio of Patriots including Logan Smith (lolo58), Edward Dunne (abc123), and Gibson. With 0:33 remaining, Dunne completed an aggressive play on the ball, scoring a goal to bring the Pats within one point. The Muskies held out defensively in the last 30 seconds, winning by a score of 5-4.

Match two featured goals from Dunne and Gibson, with Gibson striking within the first minute to put the Pats up 1-0. Dunne knocked in an impactful goal with 3:08 remaining, tying the game at 2-2. Lakeland scored a pair of goals in the final minutes, winning 4-2.

The third game featured UC's first single game Rocket League win of the season via an impressive overtime goal from Logan Smith. The Patriots faced a 2-0 deficit with under two minutes to play before Gibson made an impressive shot off a barrel roll maneuver with 1:38 to play to bring the Pats within one. In the final minute, Dunne drove in the game tying goal, that would send the game into overtime. After an intense two minutes of OT, Dunne centered the ball off the wall for Smith who took the arial shot, scoring the game winning goal to give the Patriots the 3-2 victory.

The final match included an early goal from Gibson to give the Patriots a 1-0 lead with 3:24 remaining. The Pioneers regrouped, scoring three straight to take the final match 3-1, also winning the series.

The losses drop the Patriots to 0-4 in the NACE Fall Rocket League Tournament.

UC's Rocket League squad will return on Tuesday, October 13th to take on Cornell College. 

For the latest and most up-to-date information on University of the Cumberlands Athletics, please visit www.cumberlandspatriots.com. Follow us on Twitter - @UC_Patriots and @UCPatsGameDay, Instagram - @UCPatriots, YouTube – Cumberlands Patriots, and Facebook by searching University of the Cumberlands Athletics.