HARRISBURG, PENN. – St. Edward's Esports made the trip to Harrisburg University over the weekend to compete in the HUE Invitational, posting several upset victories on its way to claiming the HUE Invitational Rocket League Championship.
The Hilltoppers' Valorant team also competed over the weekend, qualifying for the Campus Clutch Red River Regional.
"I'm very proud of both teams' accomplishments this weekend. The Rocket League team knew what they were capable of, and we're glad we got a chance to show it before CRL qualifiers," St. Edward's Head Esports Coach Sterling Henderson says. "The pace of improvement the Valorant team has shown since the start of the semester has been amazing to watch as well. They both worked hard for their successes this past weekend."
KARIM ITANI,
ZACH MOFFATT,
ANDREW PRILL, and
KODY RICHARDS posted a 7-3 record in group play, including wins over Cumberland, Maryville, George Mason, Illinois State, Converse College, UT-Arlington, and host Harrisburg University. The Hilltoppers qualified for the playoffs with a 3-2 record in the next stage, setting up a semifinal match against top-seeded West Virginia.
The Hilltoppers were heavy underdogs with recent history against WVU, dropping a 4-0 decision in the CCA Rocket League Finals over the summer.
West Virginia entered the match-up with a perfect 10-0 series record with only a single individual game loss.
Richards set the tone with a goal 30 seconds into the first game, notching another one in St. Edward's 4-1 Game 1 victory.
West Virginia found its footing in Game 2, shutting St. Edward's out 3-0, but the Hilltoppers responded immediately with a 5-2 victory behind four goals from Moffatt. West Virginia kept the pressure on, posting a 3-1 win to force a deciding Game 5.
After four games to acclimate to each other, St. Edward's and West Virginia put together a defensively stellar fifth game, sending the series into the tournament's first overtime with a 0-0 score. West Virginia generated several opportunities early in overtime. Still, the Hilltoppers defense held with some spectacular saves from Richards. Moffatt delivered the game-winner from midfield to advance the Hilltoppers to the championship match against second-seeded Ole Miss.
Ole Miss scored the first goal 30 seconds in, but Prill responded with the equalizer, and Moffatt added the go-ahead score and an insurance goal to lead St. Edward's to a 3-2 Game 1 victory.
St. Edward's recovered from a two-goal deficit in Game 2 to force overtime, but Ole Miss netted the golden goal 37 seconds in to tie the match. Ole Miss carried the momentum into Game 3 with a decisive 6-1 victory to take a 2-1 lead.
The Hilltoppers quickly regained their composure with a shutout Game 4 victory, getting two goals, an assist from Moffatt, and a goal from Prill for the 3-0 win.
Richards notched a hat trick for St. Edward's in Game 5 to give the Hilltoppers an early 3-1 lead, but Ole Miss battled back to tie the game and force overtime with 10 seconds remaining in regulation. Moffatt scored the game-winner 33 seconds into regulation to get St. Edward's to match point.
The Hilltoppers fell into a 1-0 deficit in Game 6 but reeled off a 3-0 run over the final three minutes to win the championship, getting the equalizer from Moffatt and back-to-back goals from Prill in quick succession.
The win wrapped up a big weekend for St. Edward's, who also sent a Valorant team to compete in the Campus Clutch Red River Qualifier and advanced to the finals against UT-Dallas, earning a spot in the offline regional qualifier with a second-place finish.
