The Aquinas College Rocket League team, part of the Esports program, traveled to Atlanta, Georgia over November 15-17 to compete in the National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE) Rocket League National Championship. The event took place during the DreamHack competitive gaming event. 

The Saints took on the University of Missouri, who finished the NACE fall season undefeated, in the National Championship match. Aquinas entered the matchup with a 12-3 record in the fall season. The Saints were represented in the contest by Nick Stockert, Sam DeBruyn and Corey Grant. Missouri opened the best of seven matchup with a win in game one, taking the game by a final of 3-0. In the second game, the Saints scored two early goals to put pressure on the Tigers, but Missouri came out on top by a final of 4-2 to take a two game lead in the series.

Game three saw a change in strategy by the Saints, controlling possession of the ball and limiting Missouri's chances. The Tigers were only able to create six shots in the game, as opposed to the 12 they created in game one. Goals by Stockert and DeBruyn led the Saints to a game three win. Unfortunately, the Saints were unable to capitalize on the momentum of the game three victory, as they dropped the next two games and fell in the series 4-1. Overall, the Saints finished the five game series with seven goals scored on 26 shots, and ended their inaugural semester as NACE National Runners-Up. 

If you would like to stay update to date on all things Aquinas Esports, make sure to follow them on twitter at @AquinasEsports and on their online streaming channel at twitch.tv/AquinasEsports, where you can watch all of their upcoming matches.