SSU esports continues full-force in their spring season. They played a total of seven matches between January 31 and February 6, including some exciting wins and a couple unfortunate losses. Here's a recap of their performances.
MSC Super Smash Bros. vs. Campbellsville University 2 – 0 W
This match on January 31 was a close win for the Bears. Benjamin Moushey (gamertag: Waywardness) led the charge on Zelda, claiming three stocks. Teammate Mark Schueler (gamertag: Atlas) came in next to claim one of his own before falling. Christopher Mowery (gamertag: SpaceMiner) anchored for the Bears, claiming five stocks while only dropping one to end game one a 2 – 0 win.
Game two ended in another 2 – 0 win. Once more, Moushey led the charge and claimed five more stocks, to total eight for the match, before falling. Desmond Craft (gamertag: EchoForce) entered second this time, claiming three stocks of his own. Mowery remained the Bears' anchor and cleaned up the final stock to win the match.
Super Smash Bros. will be back on February 16 for a NACE match against Lawrence Technological University. The game begins at 7:00 PM.
NACE Overwatch vs. Lindenwood University 3 – 0 W
Overwatch claimed a clean sweep against Lindenwood on January 31. Game one took the squad to Lijiang Tower, where they opened with a 2 – 0 win. Top eliminations and damage went to Noah Hall (gamertag: CNNNFDDR) with 23 eliminations and a clean 9,000 damage. Top healing went to Hallie Harris (gamertag: Panchiko) with a total of 9,289. Game two was a 3 – 2 win on King's Row, where Benjamin Palmieri (gamertag: Bas1lisk) earned top damage and fewest deaths. He dealt 13,081 damage as Sojourn and fell only thrice. Harris maintained her top healing spot, this time with 9,914. Top eliminations went to Hall with 38, followed closely by Stephen Smith (gamertag: zsmitty2020) with 37 and Palmieri with 36.
The final game was clean 1 – 0 win for the squad on Dorado. Gabriel Martinson (gamertag: Happy) subbed in for Hall in the tank position for the final game. Top damage and eliminations once again went to Palmieri, with 6,060 damage giving him 18 eliminations. Harris claimed top healing a third and final time, with 6,527 to her name, followed by teammate Gavin Jones (gamertag: Zephyr) with 3,508.
Overwatch returns on February 14 for a NACE match against Montgomery County Community College.
MSC Rocket League vs. Shawnee State University JV 3 – 0 W
In this February 2 match, the Varsity Bears took a clean sweep over the JV squad from SSU. Game one was a 2 – 1 win for Varsity, where the first goal was scored from JV member Richard Randolph (gamertag: Rickdiculous). Zach Ellis (gamertag: FireRaptor) answered back with one of his own, leading into an overtime situation where a goal from PJ Fiscus (gamertag: Fisci25) sealed the Varsity win.
Game two was another overtime win for Varsity, this time 4 – 3. Fiscus and Ellis from the Varsity squad as well as Jarod Grady (gamertag: lilStuart) from JV earned two goals each, with Randolph earning one more point for the JV squad. The final game saw the Varsity Bears break through the defense of their JV teammates, this time winning in an exciting 4 – 0 fashion. Fiscus claimed two of those goals, with Ellis and Dyllan DeBruyne (gamertag: Duckworth) claiming one each to end the game.
NACE Call of Duty vs. Baldwin-Wallace College 2 – 3 L
The Bears were subject to a tough reverse sweep in their NACE spring opener on February 1. After taking Hardpoint on Embassy with a score of 250 – 177, the squad claimed Search and Destroy on El Asilo with a score of 6 – 3. Hayden Walters (gamertag: Killer) earned top eliminations for the Bears with ten, followed closely by Austin Clark (gamertag: AyeC) with nine. With match point in hand, the Bears lost momentum with Control on Breenbergh Hotel, where they fell 0 – 3. Clark and Walters continued to lead the Bears in eliminations, with 19 and 16, respectively. Nicholas Byers (gamertag: Menace) and Kevin Ralph (gamertag: WhiteChicken) earned the fewest deaths amongst the squad with 17 each.
Game four was a tough 91 – 250 loss as the Bears tried to seal the win on Breenbergh Hotel Hardpoint. The squad spent between 26 and 30 seconds on the objective individually. Clark claimed top eliminations once more at 16. The final game was a difficult 2 – 6 Search and Destroy loss on Al Bagra Fortress, where Byers and Ralph tied for top eliminations on the Bears side; both earned five.
Call of Duty is back on February 15 with a NACE match against Northwood University. Game time is 7:00 PM.
cLoL League of Legends vs. University of Iowa 0 – 2 L
League of Legends struggled in their cLoL match on February 4. Game one was a close 29-minute loss, where the squad earned 17 total eliminations, compared to the 22 from Iowa. Aaron Allen (gamertag: Turtlestrike) earned top eliminations for the Bears with seven. Jared Robb (gamertag: Aatreon) earned the most gold among the team, with 12,166. Chase Minor (gamertag: ArcticWolf) played the supporting role with 10 assists.
Game two was another loss for the squad, this time in 28 minutes. The Bears struggled to earn eliminations, with only 10 compared to Iowa's 24. Over half of SSU's eliminations were attributed to Zachary Farrar (gamertag: Cpt Wiley) who claimed six. Top assists was tied between Allen and Minor, who earned seven each. Thomas de Graauw (gamertag: Melegim) fell the fewest times among the unit, conceding only two deaths.
NACE Rocket League vs. Quinnipiac University 3 – 0 W
This February 6 win was a clean sweep for Rocket League. Game one was a 3 – 0 win, where each member of the Bears earned one goal. Ellis also earned two assists, while Fiscus was credited with two saves during the first game. Game two was a decisive 3 – 2 win, where the unit never conceded the lead. All three SSU players earned one goal each again, with Ellis assisting his teammates twice more. The Bears closed out the match with a 4 – 1 win, where Ellis and DeBruyne claimed two goals each. Fiscus and DeBruyne also earned one assist each.
Rocket League will return on February 15 for MSC playoffs. Time and opponent are TBA.
MSC League of Legends vs. University of the Cumberlands 2 – 0 W
February 6 held a clean sweep win for League of Legends as they began post season play. Game one was a swift 23-minute win where the Bears 18 eliminations—three times what they conceded to Cumberlands. Robb led the board with nine of the squad's eliminations to his credit, followed closely by Farrar with seven. Minor led the unit in assists with eight, followed closely by Allen with seven and Popp with six. Game two was another 23-minute speed run, where the Bears doubled the elimination total of their opponents. Farrar cleaned house, earning eleven eliminations. Popp played a key supporting role, earning fourteen assists, followed closely by Minor with thirteen.
SSU League of Legends is back on February 18 with a cLoL match against Bethany Lutheran, beginning at 4:00 PM.
Full schedule information can be found at www.ssubears.com/schedule/0/22.php. To watch the SSU Esports teams in action, visit www.twitch.tv/team/shawneestateuniversity.
For more information on SSU Bears Athletics, visit www.ssubears.com or visit the Twitter and Facebook pages at www.twitter.com/SSUBears and www.facebook.com/SSUBears. For more information on how to join the SSU Bear Club or for sponsorship of specific SSU players or events, visit www.givetossu.com/bear-club and www.givetossu.com/sponsorthebears.
