Mishawaka, Ind. --- The Bethel University Esports teams were victorious last week as Overwatch went 3-0, League of Legends beat Valparaiso, Rocket League went 2-1, and Super Smash Bros. won and lost one.
Overwatch went 3-0 last week as they defeated Southern Illinois Edwardsville 3-0 in NECC play, Marietta 3-0, and got a forfeit match win over Mt. Union. Sophomore Zak Shaffer had 52 kills, 53 assists, 16,239 damage, the play of the game, and a KDA of 15 against SIUE.
Sophomore Alden Matta led the team in kills (74) and damage (21184) and had an incredible KDA of 96 across three games in the match vs Marietta.
"It was the first match of the NECC Spring season. We were looking to defend the title, and we came out firing on all cylinders, taking down SIUE 3-0." Said Head Coach Dan Wort. "They finished 4th in the fall, so it was good to get that first conference win against a team in the top half of the division. On Saturday, we beat Marietta and then won over Mt. Union, as they had to forfeit the match. These wins improved our record to 6-0 in the GLEC and kept us 1st place."
League of Legends beat Valparaiso 2-1 in NECC play as junior Tony Reyes led the Pilots in kills (33), KDA (12.5), and damage (91,769). Freshman Ray Alessi also played well with 26 assists, a 4.1 KDA, and was 2nd on the team in damage with 66,571.
Wort said, "We opened the NECC Spring season with a great win over in-state rival Valpo. Very significant since they beat us in both NECC and GLEC in the Fall."
Rocket League's varsity team went 2-1, and the JV team went 1-0. The varsity squad Beat Valpo 3-0 (2-1, 4-1, 5-1) in NECC play, lost 0-3 to MVNU in the GLEC conference, Beat St Francis 3-0 in GLEC. Jr. Cam Napier set the team record with nine demos in one game against Valpo and 15 total in the match, then Napier set Bethel's record for career exterminations (seven demos in one game) for the second time in his career. Senior Cannon Harris had two hat tricks in match over St. Francis.
"Rocket League continues to play well against tough competition." Said Wort, "Went 2-1 on the week, beating Valpo and St Francis. Cam Napier has become a one-man wrecking machine. He set 3 team records this week - most demos in a game (9), most demos in a five-game series (15), and most career exterminations (2)."
The JV team defeated Caldwell University 4-2 in ECAC as Sophomore Ian Hulett led the team with seven goals. Sophomore Noah Hunt had 8 assists during the match vs. Caldwell.
Wort said, "We evened the record to 1-1 in ECAC conference with win over Caldwell."
Super Smash Bros. went 1-1 last week as they defeated Tiffin 2-0 in GLEC play and lost to Huntington in NECC play.
Dan Wort spoke on the team, saying, "Our top player was out in the Huntington match, unfortunately, so we lost in the first game of the NECC season. However, we came back to beat Tiffin on Saturday to remain undefeated in the GLEC conference."
The Super Smash Bros. JV team went 1-2 with a 0-2 loss to Fisher College and a 1-2 loss to Augustana College in ECAC play but grabbed a 2-0 win vs. Concordia Ann Arbor in NECC play. Freshman Bobby Samarich and Junior Eric Trent led the team with 10 KOs each in a win over Concordia.
Wort said, "We added some new faces to the Smash roster this Spring, expanding our season for the JV squad to two leagues. It is a great opportunity for the younger guys to get match play experience and improve."
For the latest information on each of Bethel University's 31 intercollegiate athletic teams, visit BUPilots.com or follow the Pilots on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at @BUPilots or YouTube at /BethelSportsNetwork.
