Seton Hall eSports

Seton Hall Wins National EGF Rocket League Championship  

Rocket League team competing in a game.The Seton Hall Esports Pirates won the 2022 EGF National Rocket League Championship with a 4-2 win over the Delaware Blue Hens.

After being crowned the Big East Champions at the end of the 16-week regular season, the Pirates claimed the National EGFC title, played in person from Williamsburg, Virginia and hosted by William & Mary. The Pirates began the tournament with a 3-0 win over Sienna College Friday. They continued to a 3-0 win over Southern Arizona University, before taking on the DePaul Blue Demons in the quarterfinals. 

In the semi-finals, the Pirates took on the Mavericks of University of Texas Arlington. The series went to all five rounds where the Pirates ultimately won 3-2. In the Grand Final against Delaware, Seton Hall struck first with a 1-0 victory in the opening round. However, the Blue Hens quickly responded with an impressive second round showing, scoring a goal in the last 15 seconds and downing the Pirates 4-3.

Round three was faced with technical difficulty as Froze temporarily lost access to the game, resulting in the Pirates playing a man down. The Pirates and Blue Hens came to a gentleman's agreement and replayed the round which saw the Blue Hens win the round 2-0 and up 2-1 in the series. 

2022 Big East Esports Rocket League ChampionsThe Pirates returned to their winning ways with a commanding 5-1 win, tieing the series at two games each. The goals kept coming in the following game as the Pirates won with a commanding 5-2 win. In the sixth and final game, Seton Hall opened with a quick goal by Froze. The Pirates held off a dozen shot attempts, before securing the title with a 1-0 showing in the final game. Antonio Riozzi, Tone, a junior political science major from Jackson, New Jersey led all Pirates with seven goals in the final round.

"The Rocket League team and the entire esports program at Seton Hall really stepped up this year" said Kevin Minch, Froze, a freshman marketing major from Flemington, New Jersey. "When we return to campus tomorrow we're already focusing on the CRL Last Chance Qualifiers and have our next goal." When asked what the future holds for Froze and the rest of the Pirates Rocket League team, Froze said "we'll definitely be back in EGF next year and bring home another title." 

The Pirates are set to participate in two more tournaments this season, the CRL Last Chance Qualifier and the UGC Collegiate Rocket League Spring 2022 Tournament. CRL Last Chance qualifiers begin May 2nd with a 56 team double elimination bracket.

CRL Last Chance Qualifier

In North America, Collegiate Rocket League (CRL) has 32 teams competing in round-robin league play from February to March vying for $100,000 in scholastic awards. Having qualified for CRL for the second time outside of summer play, the Pirates faced a rough patch in CRL going 6-9 and finishing 12th in the East and will be participating in the Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ) for the chance to participate in the first-ever CRL World Championship.

The LCQ is a 56 team double elimination bracket taking place from May 2nd to the 5th with the top 4 teams qualifying for the CRL World Championship. The World Championship finals will take place in June at DreamHack Dallas 2022 in Dallas, United States at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center.

UGC Collegiate Rocket League Spring 2022 Tournament

The UGC Rocket League Collegiate tournament took place over a ten week season that included a double elimination kickoff tournament, seven weeks of regular season league nights and a playoff group play leading to a single elimination bracket to cap the season. Seton Hall finished their group stage with a 12-2 record and ranked 2nd in the group. The Pirates are looking forward to the yet to be announced tournament where they will compete for $7,000 in scholastic prizes.

Pirates Esports Summer Camp

July 25-29, August 1-5: 9am – 5pm
Led by Seton Hall's championship winning esports teams, campers will learn new strategies, create a better gaming environment, and have fun. To celebrate our Esports Championship wins, register today and save $100 by using promo code champs

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 and Spring 2022 BIG EAST League of Legends Champions, the 2020 BIG EAST-MAAC Esports Tournament Rocket League Champions, the 2018 BIG EAST Inaugural Rocket League Winter Invitational Champions, and Spring 2022 Rocket League Champions.

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].

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