Peace Esports Competes in First Matches of the Season

The fall NACE (National Association of Collegiate Esports) season has finally come and Pacers geared up this week for match day 1.

NACE consists of a seven-week regular season with one game per week. After the conclusion of the regular season, teams head to the playoffs to determine who will be crowned champion. The Pacers play in a division separated by rank to generate even matches.

Rocket League
In their first match against UNTD (University of North Texas at Dallas) the Pacers were taken down 3-0 in a best of five series. After a tough first two games in the series, the Pacers fought back in game three and took the lead with a minute to go, but ultimately fell to UNTD late and suffered their first loss of the season.

It was a disappointing first game of the season for the team and we destined to come back stronger next week, said Rocket League Captain Hernan “Herbanian” Ruedas.

“Not the way we wanted to start the season. Nerves were probably a big factor and with it being a different team this year we are still trying to figure everything out. The biggest thing was the lack of intensity and communication which led to lots of mistakes during the series,” he said.

Next week the Pacers will take on UAM (University of Arkansas at Monticello) on Monday, September 30 at 8 p.m. Watch live via Twitch.

“We will be a different team come next week,” Ruedas said.

Overwatch
The Pacers matched up with a fellow NC school in UNCG. These schools battled it out into a nail biting series that ended with the Pacers coming out on top with a 3-2 series win. Captain Sam “Starman” Wagoner was ecstatic after the first win of the season.

“I was optimistic from the beginning about our first game of the season. Everyone was eager and we built up a lot of synergy before the league started,” Wagoner said. “Our communication and skills really shined in the last round when we had to strategize a defensive plan that eventually gave us the win. I’m already so proud of our team so far and you can definitely expect more wins to come from our Overwatch Esports team.”

After a back and forth series the Pacers are now 1-0 on the season and are looking to stay undefeated as they play Columbia College on Tuesday, October 1 at 7 p.m. Watch live via Twitch.