Playoff Battles Begin for Esports 

MEQUON, Wis. – The CUW esports team began META playoffs this week, and some teams have already started working. 

The first team to battle for the title was the Rocket League team.  Colorado pulled off the surprise upset taking down the number one seed and leaving them in the first round of the tournament.  Senior Austin Esterly (Lombard, Ill.) had this to say after the upset, "It is frustrating to lose to a team that you know you are better than. They just were so unusual, it worked for them. It sucks to lose, but META was always a bonus league so we just focus on NECC now."  The NECC Rocket League team rolls into the playoffs undefeated after their 3-0 win over Rogers State on Tuesday.  The undefeated season is all well and good, but they have their eyes set on the real prize: the championship. 

Another team gearing up for the playoffs is the Valorant Team.  After they took the first game 13-8, the Falcons dropped the next two 7-13 and 8-13 to finish the matchup 1-2.  "What an amazing first map," Said coach Slater.  "We need to keep level heads and play our game. We won't lose if we have that focus across an entire series."  The Falcons set their eyes on the next step. 

In the Smash META Quarterfinals, the Falcons came out strong with a game one win.  They went into the third game tied at one after they dropped a 0-1 loss in the second.  This didn't phase them as they put up a 3-0 victory to advance to the semifinals.  Each Falcon pulled their weight with freshman Kellen Gonzales (Waukesha, Wis.) recording nine eliminations, sophomore Angel Uriostegui (Round Lake, Ill) with 10, and junior De'Shawn Ford (Gardena, Calif.) posting eight.  The Falcons look to continue their dominance throughout the META playoffs. 

Be sure to follow along with the Falcon team as they make their way through the playoffs on the Falcons Twitch page.