Haverhill, MA (April 30, 2021) – The Northern Essex Community College Esports team concluded its second season of competition falling to California State University-Dominguez Hills in the Overwatch championship match for the New England Collegiate Conference.
Championship Final
CSUDH 4 NECC 3
The Knights dropped the first two maps of the contest before rallying to win three straight, before ultimately losing the final two maps in the best of seven finale. The Knights were shutout in the opening map Oasis by a 2-0 score before falling on Eichenwalde 3-2.
In rattling off three straight map wins Kirmy Ramos (Kirmy), Jeremy Hernandez (Zara) both of Lawrence and Jacob Pimental (Tilted) of Haverhill led the Knights attack. NECC grabbed wins on the Dorado (4-3), Illois (2-1) and Kings Row (5-4) maps. Kirmy provided the most damage blocks for the Knights with 31,108 while Hernandez added the most healing which totaled up 13,114. Pimentel provided 24 eliminations on the on the Illois map.
CSUDH would win the Kings Row map 5-4 to for the deciding seventh map and grab a 1-0 victory on Route 66 to claim the championships. NECC had been the defending champions from the fall semester as they claimed the 4-1 victory over Central Methodist University.
SEMI-FINAL
NECC 3 Johnson & Wales 2
Falling behind 2-0, the Knights rallied for three straight map victories to grab the win and advance to the championship match.
The Knights dropped both Illois and Kings Row by 2-1 scores before switching gears and ultimately grabbing the victory. Jason McDonald (FreakyJ) of Georgetown earned Player of the Game honors for his overall performance in the victory.
As part of the three straight map victories the Knights pitched 1-0 shutouts on both the Volskaya Industries and Route 66 maps before taking Eichenwalde and the win by a 3-2 score. Pimental led the resurgence for the Knights on the Volskaya Industries map as he provided 25 eliminations to shift the momentum in the Knights favor. Dylan Fontaine (Haunted Mage) of Haverhill provided strong healing throughout the match.
Northern Essex Community College competes as a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and sponsors 12 varsity intercollegiate sports including baseball, men's basketball, women's basketball, softball, women's volleyball, men's and women's cross country, men's soccer, Esports and men's and women's track and field. For more information on Northern Essex Community College Athletics please visit the official website of Northern Essex Athletics (www.neccknights.com).