Uniondale, N.Y. – The Esports team competed in its inaugural match this past weekend against the New York Institute of Technology Cybears. The two teams competed in Overwatch in the first-ever esports tournament held at NYCB Live. The tournament was broadcasted on Twitch.tv, earning 4,000 live viewers and totaled 75,000 unique views. The Lions fell, 3-0.
The Maps
Escort map – Dorado
Control map – Lijiang Tower
Assault map – Volskya Industries
Low frame rates created difficulties for the Lions to move fluidly, but the maroon and white were able to come out strong on Volsyka Industries once the issue was addressed.
Andrew Gavalas, playing Hanzo, surprised the Cybers by running up a wall to gain a clean angle to shoot over the defending Orrisa's shield. Gavalas eliminated the opposing Hanzo player with a beautifully launched arrow.
Will Keller also had significant accomplishments, getting two triple kills with Junkrat's Ultimate ability, Riptire.
With the performance in map three, the Lions proved that they are able to compete with one of the best teams in the nation, despite being a newly-formed program.
"Regardless of the issues and the end result of the match, it was still a great opportunity for our students to participate in such a large-scale event," said esports consultant
K.R. Bourgoine.
