Seton Hall Wins BIG EAST-MAAC Esports Tournament  

No. 4 seed Seton Hall won the BIG EAST-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Rocket League tournament on Sunday, defeating No. 7 seed DePaul, 3-1. It was an all BIG EAST final four in the tournament as Marquette and Xavier were semifinalists in the bracket.

Seton Hall defeated Marquette 3-1, DePaul defeated Xavier 3-0. The Golden Eagles took out the top seed in the tournament, Marist, 3-1 in the second round. DePaul defeated No. 2 seed Fairfield, 3-0 also in the second round. The top four seeds had a first-round bye.

Competition took place on Sunday, Dec. 13. The Electronic Gaming Federation (EGF) operated and streamed the event on their Twitch channels. Teams competed in a best of five format, three vs. three. There were 11 games in the tournament.

Seton Hall eSports Coordinator Victor Gomez said "we are incredibly lucky and proud to have such talented young players here at Seton Hall, all three of them sophomore or below being led by a strong, technically skilled captain in Antonio [Tone] Riozzi." Post-game analysis by @CoolJ_TV and @Vodible highlighted Tone's performance as a difference maker in the Pirates win over DePaul, scoring 8 of the 14 team goals in the tournament and 4 goals in the championship match. "As one of the best players in the conference his presence is a boon to us on the virtual pitch, add to that players that are hungry to improve like Matthew [Greene] Greene and ones looking to spend more time on the virtual pitch like Brandon [Vibez] Cordiano and the results speak for themselves." said Victor.

Despite the restrictions brought on by the global pandemic, the Seton Hall eSports teams continues to find success. In the spring, the team was crowned the ESL-BIG EAST League of Legends champions in a Teaching, Learning and Technology Center.

Round 1
Game 1: No. 8 Marquette 3, No. 9 Siena 0
Gm 2: No. 5 Butler 3, No. 12 Creighton 0
Gm 3: No. 7 DePaul W, No. 10 St. John’s F
Gm 4: No. 6 Quinnipiac 3, No. 11 Niagara 0
 
Round 2
Gm 5: No. 8 Marquette 3, No. 1 Marist 1
Gm 6: No. 4 Seton Hall 3, No. 5 Butler 0
Gm 7: No. 7 DePaul 3, No. 2 Fairfield 0
Gm 8: No. 3 Xavier 3, vs. No. 6 Quinnipiac 0
 
Semifinals
Gm 9: No. 4 Seton Hall 3, No. 8 Marquette 1
Gm 10: No. 7 DePaul 3, No. 3 Xavier 0
 
Final
No. 4 Seton Hall 3, No. 7 DePaul 1

To follow updates on social media, follow #BIGEASTesports. For more on the BIG EAST Conference’s involvement in Esports visit www.BIGEAST.com/esports.

About Seton Hall Esports
A leader in the field, Seton Hall has had an esports club team since 2013. Among the first University gaming organizations in the state of New Jersey to be recognized, the team has been asked by a number of gaming organizations to provide insight into the future of collegiate gaming. The Seton Hall Esports team has played a pivotal role in the shaping and formation of league-sanctioned collegiate play. In November 2019, the University completed construction on a state-of-the-art computer lab and esports facility with dedicated and optimized computers for students' recreational and competitive use. The Pirates are Spring 2020 ESL-Big East League of Legends Champions, the 2020 BIG EAST-MAAC Esports Tournament Rocket League Champions, and the 2018 Big East Inaugural Rocket League Winter Invitational Champions.

About the BIG EAST
The BIG EAST Conference is an association of 11 nationally prominent colleges and universities that foster healthy athletic competition, community service and the pursuit of excellence in academic environments. The athletic programs of BIG EAST institutions provide national-caliber participation opportunities for more than 4,100 student-athletes on over 200 men’s and women’s teams in 22 sports. Established in 1979 and headquartered in New York City, the BIG EAST’s members are located in eight of the country’s top 36 largest media markets and include Butler University, University of Connecticut, Creighton University, DePaul University, Georgetown University, Marquette University, Providence College, St. John’s University, Seton Hall University, Villanova University and Xavier University. For more information, visit www.bigeast.com.

About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference 
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) celebrates its 40th year of competition during the 2020-21 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.

About EGF
Founded in 2015, EGF is the national governing body for formalized collegiate D-I esports and high school level leagues. EGF’s youth, high school and D-I collegiate leagues are inspired by the best aspects of traditional sports to create opportunities for students and schools to engage and advance. For more information or to inquire about collegiate participation, please visit EGF.gg , follow @officialEGF on Twitter, Instagram and Twitch and Facebook or contact [email protected]

Categories: Science and Technology