Marywood Rockets to a No. 2 Seed in NECC Playoffs

Scranton, Pa. — Marywood University defeated Edinboro University 3-1 in Rocket League to secure a No. 2 seed in the National Esports Collegiate Conference Rocket League playoffs. The Pacers will take on University of Massachusetts at Amherst in the quarterfinals.

After a tumultuous season in fourth division of the National Esports Collegiate Conference, the Marywood University Rocket League team sat at a 3-3 record. Losing matches to the rosters of Fanshawe Fuel Esports, Carlow Celtics Gold, and Carleton Ravens JV placed the Pacer squad in a precarious position to miss out on the four-team playoffs. However, the statistically similar division offered one way out for the team of James Marsh, Jack Biggs, Jakob Seamans, and Austin Gagnon. If the Pacers won with a two-game differential, they would be able to clinch a playoff spot and dodge tiebreaker matches.

Only Edinboro University's Fighting Scots Red stood between Marywood and a playoff spot.

The Pacers opened the series with a win. Both Seamans and Marsh earned early goals to take a decisive lead in the first game. Edinboro's Aarbear1000 stole a goal with 2 minutes, 55 seconds on the clock. But it wasn't enough to push the game into overtime with some stellar defensive plays by the Pacers' squad.

The second game soon demonstrated a change in tactics from the Edinboro squad as Sinical slipped a goal past the defense just 44 seconds in. However, the Pacers fired back in under 10 seconds as Marsh collected a rebound from Jack Biggs to slam a shot into the back of the net. The pitch was silent until the two-minute mark where Biggs hit a mid range shot to take the lead. Marywood would go on to burn out the clock, taking the second game the same manner as the first- with a 2-1 scoreline.

As the Fighting Scots Red squadron found themselves back against the wall, their team play came online. Sinical fired off two goals against the Pacers in just over 30 seconds, putting the Rocket League team on the back foot from the first minute. The Fighting Scots roster kept the pressure on with offensive demolitions, stifling the Pacers' attempts to recoup the score. In spite of this, Marsh broke past two defenders to score with just under three minutes on the clock. Biggs scored another goal, tying up the third game, assisted by James Marsh. The score neutrality would eventually be broken by Sinical with an aerial goal assisted by aarbear1000. The Fighting Scots burned through the rest of the clock, earning back a game in the series.

In the second match point for the Pacers, Seamans would give the team an early lead with a stunning aerial display, all but carrying the ball into the net. With the match on the line, Jack Biggs would flip a shot over the defending line of Edinboro and take a 2-0 lead. After a minute of silence, Sinical would fire back with another goal, drawing Marywood's attention. After another minute Sinical repeated the feat, tipping a goal-line bounce into the net to tie the game.

Being up 2-0 within the first two minutes of Game 4 but ceding the lead to an even scoreline, the Pacers put the pressure on. Seconds after Sinical's last goal, Marsh would hammer a shot home to regain the lead. After another minute, Jakob Seamans would earn a goal of his own, raising the lead. Not to be outdone, Biggs stole one more goal to end the game 5-2, and the series 3-1.

The Marywood Rocket League squad will be facing off against UMass Amherst in the quarterfinals on Friday

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Players Mentioned

Jack Biggs: RL; Sophomore

Austin Gagnon: RL; Junior; Spectre

James Marsh: RL; Senior

Players Mentioned

Jack Biggs
: Sophomore
: RL

Austin Gagnon
: Junior; Spectre
: RL

James Marsh
: Senior
: RL