Overwatch Breaks Even in ABC Opener
This past Saturday, September 9th, the Shawnee State Bears' Overwatch 2 team played in the opening week of the Overwatch Collegiate Homecoming tournament. This competition day included the first swiss format matches, where the Bears went 1-1. They fell in the tournament opener against University of Florida 1 - 3, but came back strong for a 3 - 0 win against University of Texas JV.
Shawnee State Bears vs. University of Florida 1 - 3 L
The starting line up for the Bears going into this series was Gaberiel Martinson (gamertag: Happy) on tank, with Zach Smith (gamertag: Zsmitty2020) and Ben Palmieri (gamertag: Bas1lisk) both on DPS. Rounding out the roster were support players Gavin Jones (gamertag: Zephyr) and Logan Betz (gamertag: DotBetz).
Map one of the day took place on Busan where University of Florida took the map 2-0 with Shawnee State fighting back valiantly but barely able to score a map point. Map two we travel to Midtown where a tug of war battle took place between both sides with the end of the 10-minute brawl Florida was on top taking the map 1-0 and leading the series 2-0. Map three takes place on Suravasa where the bears strike back in game three. They set their sights on preventing a clean sweep, fighting tooth and nail in order to take a 3-2 victory. This moves the score to a 2-1 Florida favor.The last map of the series was on New Queen Street where Florida takes the Bears down to overtime, eventually taking the game and the series. The Bears finish the match and start the tournament 0-1
Shawnee State Bears vs. University of Texas JV 3 - 0 W
The Bears enter the second match of the day with the same line-up as the first. They were looking to find their first win and try to keep a top position in their swiss bracket pool.
Map one of the match was on Illios where with a commanding fashion the bears took control and won the map 2-0. This allowed them a chance to enjoy the lead for the first time this tournament. Map 2 is on Eichenwalde, where the Bears have a solid defense and keep the University of Texas to only one point. This leads them up to finish off the map 2-1 and start off with a strong 2-0 lead in the match. They were heading into the final map of this match and the last one of the opening day, New Junk City. The Bears sub in support Gwendolyn Bowman (gamertag: Obama) for Jones, making her first appearance this season. This time the Bears start off on the attack and get a full capture, then stalled Texas to only one point. This strategy led the squad to a 3-0 victory over University of Texas and put their swiss record at 1-1.
Their next match is September 16th at 2:00 PM with more ABC Overwatch Tournament action.