Augusta University Rocket League team secures No. 1 spot
By Noah Bowers | Sports Writer
The Augusta University Varsity Rocket League officially secured the No. 1 seed for the Peach Belt Conference Championship, after the Jaguars swiftly defeated Columbus State University, 3-0, on Sunday, Oct. 8.
The match scores were 7-1, 4-0, 3-0.
The Jaguars returned to their original lineup of Jordan Moratin, Zack Pye and Jacob LoRusso due to scheduling conflicts and illness. The dynamic trio didn’t miss a beat and moved on to 4-0 in the PBC.
Team captain Jordan (jrdn.) Moratin carried on his offensive dominance from last week’s match with seven goals and 13 shots on net. Moratin has a strong case for PBC MVP, as he’s averaging over 1.5 goals per map, and has scored 20 times on the season already. Jacob (jacobisnerdy) LoRusso followed close behind with five goals and seven shots, as well as three saves.
Zack (realpyeguy) Pye used the match to exercise his demolition derby skills and racked up a whopping 22 car demolitions. His carnage on the field completely disrupted any sort of coordination for Columbus State. Pye added on two goals, three assists and 10 shots to the aggressive box score.
There were only three saves the whole series, by LoRusso, and they all occurred in the last map. CSU had practically zero offensive presence on all three maps. The Jaguars controlled the ball from the first kickoff and never gave the Cougars a chance.
The Jaguars performance so far has been nothing short of dominant. They have lost only one map the entire PBC season, which was their first of the season against Kennesaw State on Sept. 17. Every other match has been a 3-0 sweep, and they have outscored the competition 52-13. All while experimenting with roster substitutions and competing from the unfinished Jaguar Esports Arena at the Georgia Cyber Center, which is still under construction. Adversity is no stranger to this team, and yet they keep winning.
Their final match of the PBC regular season against Florida Southern, reigning Rocket League PBC Champions, will take place on Sunday, Oct. 15, at 5 p.m. The Jaguars will look to finish their inaugural season with a bang, and leave no doubts as to who is at the top of the conference when the tournament begins on Sunday, Oct. 22.
Relive the match and tune in for the regular season finale here: https://www.twitch.tv/jordanrl__.
Contact Noah Bowers at nbowers@augusta.edu.
From left to right: Carson Berry, Byron Gibson, Carlton Collins, Jordan Moratin, Jacob LoRusso and Zack Pye in the Esports Arena that will be unveiled on Monday, Oct. 23, at 5 p.m. in the grand opening event. At the top of the page, from left to right: Carlton Collins, Carson Berry, Byron Gibson, Zack Pye and Jordan Moratin practicing against each other before the game against Columbus State. (photos by Noah Bowers)
