Last week, we discussed the 16 teams who qualified for League Play in Qualifier 1 of the CRL Fall 2022 Season. Qualifier 2 was held this past Sunday, October 2nd, and it was explosive. The remaining 16 teams who qualified for League Play last Sunday gave it their all in their last effort at advancing this season, making for some intense gameplay. Here are the results of Qualifier 2:
East
West Virginia University was the first team to advance to League Play in this qualifier. “Rotz,” “Angel,” and “Falss” had an impressive upper bracket run, winning every series they played. In the Grand Final, WVU defeated USF Gold to secure their first ever spot in League Play, a historic event for the team. These three players have immense potential and could impress us further through the rest of the season.
Indian River State College emerged victorious from pool 2 after a few close calls in the finals. They tore through most of the upper bracket, but when they went head to head with Akron Zips Gold, IRSC was defeated and sent to the lower bracket. Upon returning to the upper bracket, “SlaYeR,” “Tacostash,” and “Sea-Bass” were able to exact their revenge on the Zips by defeating them in both the Grand Final and Grand Final Reset, granting IRSC entry to League Play. This team is brand new, but SlaYeR and Sea-Bass both have past experience in RLCS, and SlaYer formerly competed in CRL for Valleyfield College. These factors could imply future success for the team as they continue to improve throughout League Play.
Brewton-Parker College annihilated pool 3, sweeping every team they faced until the Grand Final, where they defeated the University of Florida by a narrow margin of 3-2. BPC is yet another new team making a name for themselves this season. Players “ItzAntix,” “Soulless,” and “Melodic” display great chemistry, and could be a force to be reckoned with based on their performance in this qualifier.
Seton Hall were the highlight of pool 4. After their narrow defeat at the hands of Northwood Blue in Qualifier 1, they brought their A-game to Qualifier 2, tearing down the upper bracket on their way to the finals. Players “tone,” “Stokelyy,” and “Froze” were beaten 3-2 by the Shawnee State Bears in the pool 4 Grand Final, but rallied for the Grand Final Reset where they swept the Bears 3-0 to qualify to League Play. Seton Hall have advanced to League Play in multiple past seasons, and their current roster has a lot of experience playing together. They’re sure to be a threat moving forward.
Rochester University swept all their opponents in the upper bracket of pool 5 before facing off against Carnegie Mellon University in the Winner’s Final, where they lost the series 2-3 and were sent to the lower bracket. Rochester returned to the upper bracket after defeating the UCF Knights in the Loser’s Final,then bested Carnegie Mellon in both the Grand Final and the Reset. Though this team is brand new to CRL, “Knight,” “Skies,” and “luca” have all been competing in smaller tournaments together since January, achieving first place in nearly every tournament they played. Rochester could definitely be a sleeper team based on their past accomplishments and experience, so keep an eye out for them.
Penn State Blue had a fiery upper bracket run in pool 6, taking every series until the Grand Final where they were defeated 3-0 by Valleyfield, who were playing from the lower bracket. Valleyfield had to take the Grand Final Reset to win, though, and Penn State Blue weren’t going to let that happen. After winning 3-1 in the Reset, Penn State advanced to League Play for the first time in the team’s history. “JamaicanCoconut,” “Karim,” and “bran” were able to qualify for the World Championship last season after coming in 4th place in the Last Chance Qualifier, however, they haven’t had spectacular results in a regulation season until now. All three players are talented in their own right, so it will be interesting to see their results in the coming weeks.
Northern Kentucky University had to fight hard to qualify from pool 7. They full-swept all their opponents until facing Virginia Tech in the Winner’s Final, where they lost 1-3 and were sent to the lower bracket. “Rickles,” “Toastie,” and “PigChaos” were undeterred, besting UCF Academy in the Loser’s Final to reenter the upper bracket. NKU were then able to defeat Virginia Tech 3-2 in the Grand Final, and 3-0 in the Reset to secure victory. This team is brand new, and they’re already making waves. Will they be able to hold their own against the more experienced teams in League Play? Time will tell.
Kennesaw State University were able to bring home the bacon in pool 8 with an impressive undefeated series record. They only lost 2 games total, which were both in the Winner’s Final against Rutgers. They were able to take the FInal 3-2, then swept the George Mason Patriots in the Grand Final 3-0. KSU’s roster consists of players “Flitz,” “tyro,” and “TNT,” who all joined the team this year. Flitz has an impressive tournament record and has won a commendable amount of prize money in the past, so he may be able to bring some experience and wisdom to the team to help them succeed.
West
Boise State Blue was the first team to advance to League Play from the West in Qualifier 2. They dropped only 3 total games in pool 1, 2 of which were in the Winner’s Final against UAlberta ESA Gold. They took the Final 3-2, then beat UAlberta again in the Grand Final 3-0 to qualify for League Play. “GIL,” “instinqt,” and “Durtho” were defeated by Missouri S&T in the Grand Final of Qualifier 1, which seems to have further ignited their passion to succeed in Qualifier 2. Last season, Boise State qualified for League Play but were unable to advance to the Conference Playoffs. They appear to have found a new rhythm this season after picking up Durtho to replace their former third “Danger.” This could be just the change they needed to reach their full potential.
The Ottawa Braves triumphed in pool 2. They were able to secure close victories against Borregos MTY in both the Winner’s Final and the Grand Final, finishing both series 3-2 and advancing to League Play. “Brocli,” “Nitrovity,” and “sEtch” were bested by Columbia College in Qualifier 1 after 3 incredibly close series, but now Ottawa will get their chance at revenge against Columbia in the coming weeks of League Play. Ottawa performed exceptionally well last season, making it all the way to the Conference Playoffs. They have a brand new roster this season aside from Nitrovity, so it will be interesting to see how their performance compares.
CSUF Blue struggled a bit in pool 3, dropping more than a few games throughout their upper bracket run. However, they were able to win every series, including the Grand Final, where they squeaked out a 3-2 win against the Nevada Wolfpack to qualify for League Play. In Qualifier 1, CSUF were narrowly bested by Mizzou Gold in the Grand Final Reset, which could pose a rivalry going into League Play. CSUF Blue consists of players “spoodah,” “benji,” and new third “FearClassic,” who replaced their former third “fantasyoutlaw” this season. Last season, CSUF qualified for League Play, but finished in last place, meaning they didn’t qualify for the Conference Playoffs. Hopefully this roster change will breathe new life into the team and allow them to transcend their previous performance.
Cal Poly had a commendable upper bracket run in pool 4, then overcame BSU Orange by the skin of their teeth in the Winner’s Final. Players “1zen,” “itzmarion,” and “Monku” then advanced to the Grand Final where they swept UBC Gold 3-0 to qualify. Cal Poly were defeated by UT Arlington in the Grand Final Reset of Qualifier 1, which seems to have motivated them in this qualifier. Last season, Cal Poly qualified for League Play, but finished in 11th place, preventing further advancement. If they have learned from their mistakes and put the hours in training, there’s no doubt they have the potential to make it farther this season.
Saint Edwards University dominated pool 5, dropping only 2 total games. One of those games was in the Grand Final against the Texas Longhorns, which SEU won 3-1. “Taha,” “Dino,” and “ClukkClukk” were swept in the Grand Final by UNLV in Qualifier 1, so they took this qualifier very seriously. This is a brand new team, though Taha and Dino have experience playing in smaller Rocket League tournaments, so that could give the team an edge moving forward.
The University of Oregon dominated pool 6, losing only 1 game through their upper bracket run. Players “Imminent,” “Ceeebzz,” and “Airoh” full swept Nebraska Esports in both the Winner’s final and the Grand Final to gain entry to League Play. This roster is brand new aside from Imminent, who had some success in the Spring 2021 CRL season. After their superb performance in this qualifier, it will be exciting to see where the players can take this team.
SDSU, or if you want to use their full team name, “SDSU’s eggs waffle emporium and beach fun house,” had an absolutely flawless upper bracket run through pool 7. They dropped 0 games, crushing all those who stood in their way, including Weber State University, who they swept 3-0 in both the Winner’s Final and Grand Final. Players “eeyore,” “Dawg,” and “Lamp” were bested by the Keyano Huskies in the Winner’s Final of Qualifier 1 West Pool 8, then they were beat again by GCU in the Loser’s Final. They clearly took those losses to heart, because they demolished in Qualifier 2. This roster performed well last season as well, qualifying for League Play and the Conference Playoffs. This team has a lot of potential and could really wreak havoc this season.
GCU made it out of pool 8 with a near flawless run, losing only 1 game in total. They were able to sweep NAU Gold in the Grand Final to secure their spot in League Play. Players “blindbandit,” “Latumos,” and “Nando” were knocked out by the Keyanu Huskies in a close 3-2 Grand Final Series during Qualifier 1. This team seems to be incredibly talented, however, and despite being new to CRL, they could pose a real threat to the other teams in League Play.
