By: Kellen Gormley
Mines Club Esports opened its first week of regular-season NECC competition with strong performances across several titles, highlighted by sweeps from Valorant, Rocket League and Rainbow Six Siege.
The Orediggers picked up victories across five of the seven submitted contests during a busy week that featured Valorant, Overwatch, League of Legends, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Rocket League, Counter-Strike and Rainbow Six Siege.
Valorant Sweeps Cal State San Bernardino
Valorant Varsity continued its strong start Monday against Cal State San Bernardino, earning a 2-0 victory.
The opening map on Lotus was a back-and-forth battle. Freshman Lachlan Kistner helped Mines establish an early advantage with several individual plays as the Orediggers entered halftime leading 7-5.
Mines extended the lead to 9-7 before Cal State San Bernardino appeared poised to answer after earning an early elimination and attacking a site defended by freshman Amarmurun Munkhbat.
Munkhbat had other plans.
Playing Chamber, Munkhbat produced an ace to turn the round in Mines' favor and provide the Orediggers with the momentum they needed to close out Lotus 13-11.
WATCH: Amarmurun Munkhbat delivers an ace against Cal State San Bernardino
Cal State San Bernardino was forced to forfeit the second map due to time constraints, giving Mines the 2-0 match victory.
Overwatch Opens Division III Play Against Texas A&M
Overwatch Varsity opened its NECC Division III main bracket Friday against Texas A&M White, falling 3-0 despite three competitive maps.
Mines took a point on Samoa before Texas A&M secured the opening map 2-1. The second game on Aatlis was even closer, with the Orediggers pushing the Aggies to the final stages before falling 3-2.
The teams moved to Eichenwalde for Game 3, where Mines again threatened to extend the series before Texas A&M earned a 3-1 victory to close the match.
The series gave the Orediggers their first look at Division III regular-season competition and provided several areas to build upon as the NECC season continues.
WATCH: Overwatch highlight against Texas A&M White
League of Legends Takes 2-0 Victory
League of Legends Varsity picked up its first regular-season victory Thursday with a 2-0 result against USC JV.
The Trojans forfeited the match, giving Mines the sweep as the Orediggers opened NECC regular-season competition in the win column.
Smash Opens Online Competition Against Rockford
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate faced Rockford University on Tuesday in its first week of competition.
The Orediggers encountered an additional challenge in adjusting to online competition, with several Mines players adapting to playing over Wi-Fi against a Rockford squad more accustomed to the online format.
Rockford ultimately took both games to secure the 2-0 match victory. Despite the difficult opening week, Mines gained valuable experience with the online competitive environment as the team prepares for the remainder of its NECC schedule.
Rocket League Sweeps New Mexico State
Rocket League Varsity delivered one of Mines' strongest performances of the week, sweeping New Mexico State 4-0 in a best-of-seven series Wednesday.
Trevor Proskovec, Jack Cowden and Mark Mainville opened the series with a 2-1 Game 1 victory. Both Mines goals came through passing plays, including the game winner when Cowden popped the ball toward Proskovec, who turned and beat the defender to put Mines ahead.
WATCH: Proskovec finishes the Game 1 winner
The trio carried the momentum into Game 2. Mines created space throughout the contest and capitalized with a 4-2 victory. Mainville helped create the opening goal by moving the ball to Cowden, who found Proskovec in the middle for the finish.
WATCH: Mines connects on a passing play against NMSU
Junior Ronin McMahon joined Cowden and Mainville for Game 3, which produced the most dramatic finish of the series. With no time remaining and the teams locked in a close battle, McMahon centered the ball for Cowden, who turned and finished the play to give Mines another 2-1 win and a commanding 3-0 series lead.
WATCH: Cowden scores at zero seconds to win Game 3
Proskovec returned alongside Cowden and Mainville for Game 4. After a difficult opening stretch, Mines broke through with two late goals to take control. Proskovec supplied the finishing blow, getting past two defenders for the goal that helped secure a 4-2 victory.
WATCH: Proskovec helps Mines finish the sweep
The result gave Mines a perfect 4-0 sweep to begin its NECC regular season.
Counter-Strike Picks Up Forfeit Victory
Counter-Strike added another victory to the Orediggers' week with a forfeit win over Washington University in St. Louis.
The result followed Mines' 13-11 placement victory over Cal State Dominguez Hills the previous week and kept the Orediggers unbeaten through their opening two scheduled results of the fall.
Rainbow Six Sweeps Kansas State
Rainbow Six Siege completed another Mines sweep Wednesday, defeating Kansas State Varsity 2-0.
The series opened on Chalet, where the Wildcats tested Mines with several aggressive rushes. The Orediggers responded and secured a tightly contested 7-5 victory.
Mines found its strongest form on attack, dropping just two attacking rounds while producing some of its best coordinated executions of the young season.
The Orediggers carried that momentum onto Clubhouse and controlled both sides of the map. Mines surrendered only two rounds on attack and one on defense on the way to a convincing 7-3 victory, completing the 2-0 sweep.
Orediggers Build Momentum in Opening Week
The week provided an encouraging opening to regular-season NECC competition for Mines, with victories coming across several of the program's varsity titles.
Valorant and Rainbow Six each earned 2-0 sweeps, Rocket League opened its regular season with a perfect 4-0 result, and League of Legends and Counter-Strike added victories of their own. Overwatch and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate also gained valuable early-season experience as they continue into their respective schedules.
With the opening week complete, Mines Club Esports now turns its attention toward another full slate of NECC competition as the Orediggers continue their first season in the league.