Williamsburg - UC Esports is in full swing now after competing in six matches this past week, going 2-4 during that time. After competing in just one Rocket League match during their opening week, the Patriots saw action across four different games, showing how they should fare in each going forward. 

Rocket League

Cumberlands did not get their week started off on the right foot as they were thoroughly handled in their first match of the week. Late Monday (September 13) night they squared off against the University of Kansas and the Jayhawks were more than up for the task as they won the best-of-five match via a sweep. UC did all they could to try to keep pace with their opponent, but KU's defense was stifling, allowing only two goals in the match. It seemed every solid attack the Patriots mounted ended up going the other way as the Jayhawks swarmed to the ball and their counterpart frequently.

The Patriots bounced backed in Rocket League on Friday, September 17 night as they were able to beat Campbellsville, grabbing their first Mid-South Conference victory in team history. UC was favored in this match as all three of their players were ranked as Grand Champions I or higher and that ended up being a major advantage as Cumberlands swept their conference foe.

Game number one ended up in a 3-0 win for the Patriots as each UC player found the goal once apiece. The first game was more about Cumberland's defense as they managed to keep the ball out of their side of the field for much of the first half of the contest. Solid passes by the Patriots kept the ball out of Campbellsville's clutches, allowing UC to control the game and giving them game number one. 

Game number two was a much tighter contest between the two squads as UC came away with the 1-0 to complete the sweep. Campbellsville made some adjustments after their first defeat and it showed as the Tigers came out aggressive, not allowing the Patriots to pull off any strong attacks. A major plot point in the game was a Rule 1 occurring midway through the match. Rule 1 in Rocket League is when two players collide and end up deadlocked. Either player can move out of it, but it is considered unsportsmanlike 

The Rule 1 made this a two-on-two match for nearly two minutes, making for some serious action. Both teams tried to take advantage of the occurrence and it was UC who was able to come away with the goal by Tanner Edelen (Txnr) as they moved ahead 1-0 with a little under a minute left to go in the game. The Tigers did not go away quietly as they mounted a serious run with less than 20 seconds remaining in the game as they moved the ball up the field quickly and were able to get a good shot off that looked on target. The Tiger's shot flew wide left, just mere inches away from tying up the contest and that was the last shot Campbellsville was able to get off as they fell to the Patriots. 

Rainbow Six: Siege

UC competed in their first Rainbow Six event of the season on Friday (September 17) as they were tasked with taking on Central Michigan University. The match did not end up going how the Patriots wanted as they fell in a 0-2 sweep to the Chippewas. Cumberlands ran out a young group for R6 and that showed in this one.

"A lot of our team is new so the nerves were apparent with it being out first game. I think the veteran leadership really started to show up in the second game. That excites me going forward as this team grows" - Jacob Ball, Assistant Coach

League of Legends 

UC's League of Legends squad got their first taste of action on Monday as they competed against the St. Thomas University Bobcats. This match was an MSC affair as the Bobcats are one of the affiliate members of the conference for esports. The Patriots League of Legends team members are inexperienced when it comes to collegiate competition as many of their members are underclassmen. That youth shone through as the Patriots were defeated by STU. 

The main goal of League of Legend is to take down your opponents defenses before targeting their base, otherwise known as the nexus. In the game, there are multiple levels of defense for both teams as each side has their character group, NPCs, and defense towers. The Bobcats methodically destroyed each of those groups before moving in on the Patriot's nexus just 25 minutes into the game as STU finished things out with a quadra kill and an ace.

St. Thomas seemed to have their opponents number in this contest as they recorded 22 kills to UC's nine while there was a discrepancy of 15k gold between the two sides. There were some bright spots for the young Patriots squad which will be a focal point for them moving forward as the year goes along. UC was scheduled to play a second League of Legends match during the week against the Georgia Bulldogs, but a failure by the Bulldogs to meet league requirements forced them to forfeit, giving Cumberlands their first League of Legends win on the year.

Valorant

UC wrapped up their schedule for the week on Sunday, September 19 as they competed in round one of the NACE Valorant East/West Open. It was the University of Ottawa that the Patriots lined up against in the event and it was all Gee-Gees in this one as they took home the best-of-three sweep. A lack of experience on Cumberland's part to go along with stiff competition meant that it was going to be a tough contest. Despite the loss, UC feels like there is plenty to learn from that they can use as the season moves on.

"The team we were up against was really good. uOttawa's one of the higher seeds in the tournament so we aren't too down on ourselves for how things went. The experience we got from this will be invaluable for us and, I think, will lead to great growth for the team." - Jacob Ball, Assistant Coach

The Patriots will be back on the sticks on Monday as they have a double header on tap as they return to MSC League of Legends action while also competing in NACE Rocket League. That is just the beginning for UC as they have a full slate of six events in the week ahead.

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