Overtime heroics provide Celtics win over University of Michigan in inaugural Esports match

PITTSBURGH --- The Carlow University Rocket League esports team won the first match in school history against the University of Michigan 3-2 Thursday night.

October 19, 2023

By Carl Zappa III

PITTSBURGH --- The Carlow University Rocket League esports team won the first match in school history against the University of Michigan 3-2 Thursday night.

Rocket League is played in a best of five games format for each match. Each game lasts for five minutes and goes to sudden death overtime, if necessary, at the end of the five-minute regulation games.

The University of Michigan was victorious in game one with a score of 2-0 over Carlow. It was deadlocked 0-0 until just 1:34 remaining when Michigan scored the first goal of the match. The Wolverines scored again off the ensuing kickoff and the score remained 2-0 as time expired.

In the second game, it took Brady Fest just 49 seconds to score the first goal in program history, giving Carlow a 1-0 advantage. Michigan scored at 3:16 to draw it even at 1-1. Michigan scored again at 2:34 and on the following kickoff at 2:29 to make it 3-1 Wolverines. Fest scored again at 2:22 off an assist from AJ Nguyen. Fest then stole a ball and went coast-to-coast at 1:31 to even the score, 3-3. Michigan pulled ahead 4-3 with just 0:45 seconds left and added an insurance goal on a long shot from their own end with only 13 seconds remaining, making the final score 5-3.

Carlow started game three trailing 0-2 in the match and needed to win the next three games to be victorious. Game three was relatively quiet until 3:39 when Fest made a big save in the Carlow end and was able to finish off the pass from Nguyen to take the Celtics up, 1-0. Michigan drew even at 3:39 and Fest rattled off two quick goals to put Carlow ahead, 3-1. Michigan responded with two goals seven seconds apart to make it 3-3. Carlow was able to take the lead and secure the game win off another Fest goal, assisted by Alena Hemminger, in the final minute of the game. The final score of game three was 4-3 Carlow.

Game four started with some back and forth play until a big save by Nguyen at 3:54. A goal from Fest at 3:28 put Carlow up 1-0. Michigan answered at 3:14, capitalizing off a turnover and evening the score at 1-1. Fest was able to knock home an aerial goal at 1:39 and Nguyen scored the eventual game winner with 54 seconds left on the clock, making it 3-1 Carlow. Michigan tucked one in with 30 seconds left, but Fest was not done scoring as he capitalized on a full Michigan press and scored with just six seconds remaining, allowing the Celtics to take game four by a score of 4-2.

With the match tied, 2-2, through the first four games, Michigan opened the scoring in game five at 4:38 and Fest responded with a Carlow goal at the four-minute mark to make it 1-1. Fest put two more in at 3:04 and 2:42 to make it 3-1 Carlow. Michigan made two big saves on Carlow around the two-minute mark and converted the counter at 1:49 to draw within one goal. Michigan was able to tie it up and pull ahead, 4-3, with two quick goals and only 50 seconds remaining. Carlow was able to score again off a shot from Fest with just 26 seconds left, taking the game to overtime. In dramatic fashion, Nguyen made a huge save after the initial kickoff and only 10 seconds into overtime. After some back-and-forth play, Fest was able to create some space and score under a minute into the sudden death overtime period, giving Carlow University their first win in program history.

Carlow returns to the virtual pitch on Friday, Oct. 20 at 8 p.m. against Midway University.