Point Park’s Valorant Gold and Rocket League Gold teams held their fall season openers this week, with one team ending triumphant and the other falling in the final seconds.
Point Park esports houses four teams: Rocket League Gold, League of Legends Gold, Valorant Gold and Valorant Green.
The Valorant Gold team opened its season with a sweep on Friday, September 19, against Old Dominion University’s JV team in a 2–0 series.
The squad includes Ryan “Creep” Milazzo, Ahri “AhriCasts” Riso, Skylar “Exxtra” Madera, Finn “FearTheFinn” O’Hara, and Amin “MrAminSavage” Alipourkashki.
The first map played was Haven, where the Pioneers controlled the tempo, winning 13-2.
AhriCasts headlined the map with 23 kills, and every player finished positive on kills/deaths.
The second match was Sunset. Both teams stood 5-5 until the Pioneers took eight straight rounds to secure the sweep 13-5.
Exxtra led the map with 21 kills followed by AhriCasts with 18 kills.
Valorant Gold is 1-0 in divisional play.
The Rocket League team opened play on Wednesday, September 16, suffering a loss against divisional opponent Virginia Wesleyan.
Point Park beat Virginia Wesleyan in the finals last year to become National Association of Collegiate Esports Divisional Champions for Rocket League in April. Teammates shared that this series was considered a high-stakes rematch.
The Pioneers lost last week in a best-of-five competition, taking the series to the fifth game after three straight wins.
The team includes captain Caleb “ClashThatCaleb” Knox, Saif “Saif Danger” Greco and Ian “Snoozyn” Beain.
The fifth and final game showcased an intense rivalry, with a tied score in the final minute. With 22 seconds left, Virginia Wesleyan found the go-ahead goal to take game 2–1 and win the entire series 3–2.
The Pioneers opened the series with two losses.
With their backs against the wall, ClashThatCaleb and Saif Danger responded in game three with two goals within the first few minutes to eventually win 2-1.
Point Park similarly opened game four with two immediate goals from Snoozyn. He later extended the lead to 3-1, scoring all three goals to force an all-or-nothing game five.
Game five showcased a close battle, but Virginia Wesleyan scored in the final seconds to secure the series over Point Park.
ClashThatCaleb ended with three goals, three assists and 12 saves. Saif Danger recorded two goals and four saves, and Snoozyn led in scoring with four goals, four assists and 12 saves.
Rocket League Gold is 0-1 in divisional play.
Both Rocket League Gold and Valorant Gold compete in weekly competitions versus divisional opponents.
