Members of Waubonsee Community College's Esports team have advanced to the semi-finals of the National Junior College Athletic Association's (NJCAA) Rocket League National Championship Tournament. The Chiefs' upset second-seeded Hawkeye (IA) Community College in a thrilling best-of-seven match four games to three, clinching the victory with a sudden death overtime win in the final game. Waubonsee, seeded seventh in the 16-team tournament, will now square off against 11th seeded Nassau (NY) Community College in a Final Four match tomorrow evening, May 1, beginning at 6:00 p.m. (CST). The match can be seen 'live' at www.TwitchTV/NJCAAe
Top-seeded Lincoln Land College will battle fourth-seeded Jackson (MI) College in the other semi-final match, with the National Championship set to be played this coming Sunday, May 2 beginning at noon (CST). Lincoln Land edged St. Clair (MI) Community College four games to three, while Jackson topped fifth-seeded Northern Virginia Community College in just five game. Nassau surprised sixth-seeded Lackawanna (PA) Community College in the first round before stunning third-seeded Hudson Valley (NY) Community College to advance to play Waubonsee.
The Chiefs' Rocket League crew of Cameron Davis, Timothy Schramek, Zachary Stephenson and Tyler Hammer finished the regular season 9-3 overall to qualify for the tournament. Waubonsee knocked off the 10th-seeded Wake Tech Eagles from Raleigh, North Carolina in the first round four games to two. The Chiefs won the opening game 6-1 before the Eagles took game two by scoring at the buzzer for a 1-0 win. Wake Tech then won game three 2-0 as the Chiefs went 0 for 12 in shots on goal. The fourth game was scoreless after the five-minute regulation period. However, Davis quickly won it to pull the Chiefs even at two games apiece by scoring just eight seconds into the sudden death overtime. A sophomore, who also plays basketball and soccer at Waubonsee, Davis was the hero again in the fifth game as he scored with 0:18 remaining to give the Chiefs a 2-1 victory. Waubonsee then jumped on the Eagles early in the sixth game and cruised to a 6-0 win to take the match.
The Chiefs' epic match against Hawkeye started off inauspiciously as the Red Tails scored just three seconds into the match. The Chiefs tied it a minute later on a goal by Stephenson before the Red Tails erupted for six goals in the final minute of regulation to run away with game one 7-1. In the second game Hawkeye seemed to be in control leading 2-0 with just over a minute left. However, Schramek broke a Chiefs' 8-minute long scoring drought a few second later and Davis then tied the game with 0:13 left to send it into overtime. The extra period did not last long as Schramek scored just six seconds after play resumed to even things at a game apiece.
In game three the Red Tails led 2-1 midway through until Stephenson knotted the score with 1:24 to go. Half a minute later Waubonsee missed two point-blank shots and a chance to take the lead. That left the door open for the Red Tails who won the game with a score at the buzzer. Waubonsee responded in the fourth game by jumping out to a 5-2 lead and then held on for a 5-4 victory as the Red Tails tallied two goals in the final 0:22 to make the score closer than it was. All three Chiefs' found the back of the net as Stephenson and Schramek each scored twice, and Davis once.
Hawkeye led the fifth game 2-0 with a minute remaining when Davis scored off a perfect pass from Schramek. Two great defensive saves by Hawkeye a moment later thwarted the Chiefs' attempt to tie the game and the Red Tails cashed in with a goal for a 3-1 lead with 0:30 left. Davis got another goal shortly thereafter, but Waubonsee ran out of time in a 3-2 loss giving Hawkeye a three-games-to-two lead as well. With their backs to the wall in a potential elimination game the Chiefs pulled out a 4-2 victory as Schramek broke a two-all tie with 1:08 remaining when he tapped in a rebound. Davis then made a great defensive play to preserve the lead with 0:40 left, and clinched the win by scoring once more with 0:05 to go to force a winner-take-all seventh game.
The seventh and deciding game went back and forth with the Chiefs grabbing a 2-1 lead with 3:04 remaining as Stephenson played a ball off the end wall to the left of the goal and scored on a sharp angled shot. The Red Tails tied the game half a minute later and had two prime scoring opportunities in the final 0:20 of regulation, but both shots hit just above the crossbar sending things to sudden death overtime. Davis had a chance to win it just 0:20 into the extra period, but his close in shot went just wide left. Stephenson made a great save at the two-minute mark to keep the Chiefs alive. Waubonsee then won the match as Davis beat a defender to the ball and knocked it off the end wall right to Schramek who drilled in the game-winner from the right side
Coach Jarod Ericksen's crew also had other qualifiers for the NJCAA playoffs. Waubonsee was seeded fourth in the 8-team Hearthstone Tournament, but was eliminated by fifth-seeded Kingsborough Community College from Brooklyn, New York. Waubonsee's Alex Lindquist was seeded 24th and Jacob Loizzo was seeded 33rd in the Super Smash Brothers Tournament. However, both were knocked out of the 64-player tournament early on.