GREENWOOD, S.C. – Lander Esports (12-6) started regular season action this week with a challenging lineup of D1 opponents and rose to the occasion.
 

Academy Rocket League claimed victories over the University of South Carolina and Tennessee by margins of 3-0 and 3-2.

The win against South Carolina came by exuding overwhelming pressure. Lander dominated shots on goal by outpacing the Gamecocks 35-14. Freshman Titus (Tabby255-) led the way with 6 total goals in the series.

In the second portion of the NECC doubleheader, Lander squared off against Tennessee with three out of five matches being decided by just a single goal. With the series tied 2-2, Sophomore Carson Medlin (Droppstick) scored the final goal with 0 seconds on the clock to put Tennessee away and finish 2-0 on the night.

Up next for Academy Rocket League will be the 49ers of UNC Charlotte on 9/24 at 8 PM.

Varsity VALORANT kicked off Lander's Blue and Gold week by quickly dispatching the University of Florida, 2-0 with a 13-6 win on Ascent and 13-8 win on Lotus. 

In map 1, Lander fell behind early before going on a 12-1 run to close out Ascent, fueled by Junior Jacob Wallace (TinyGiant) who had 29 kills on KAY/O and 6 first bloods. Wallace outpaced the top Florida player by 12 kills.

Map 2 saw Lander jump out to a 9-3 lead at half before Florida started to mount a comeback on defense. Clutch rounds from Sophomore Ari Frye (LU f4ngz) and Junior William Gambill (voxie) staved off Florida to seal the victory. The victory tied Lander for 1st place with the University of Georgia and the University of North Georgia. 

Varsity VALORANT will resume NECC action Monday, September 29th against the University of North Georgia.