During the first weekend of February, teams from colleges and universities across the Northeast competed in the Rocket League's MAAC Collegiate Esports Invitational. Representing Fairfield’s Rocket League esports team were Matthew Baker ’24, Samuel Martin ’24, and William Duffy ’24. 

Participating teams in the tournament included Marist College, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, and Siena College. This is Fairfield’s first season competing in the MAAC. 

Going into the tournament, the Rocket League team felt confident about making it to the final round. “Over the month leading up to the tournament, we had been playing each week and had even played scrimmages against the Quinnipiac roster, so we knew we had what it took to win,” said Baker.

Fairfield won the first-round match against Rider University 2-0, and then defeated Quinnipiac 3-0 to advance to the finals where they competed against Marist, a top team in the league. 

“We knew the game against Marist in the finals was going be tough since they beat us 3-0 when we played them in the fall. We had gotten a lot better as a team since we last played them so we knew we’d put up a better fight,” said Duffy.

“That game meant a lot to us, especially after we got 3-0'd by Marist, which is a top team in the league,” said Baker. “It felt like we had a lot to prove, both to ourselves, and to Marist.”

Following the final rounds of competition, Fairfield won the tournament 3-1 against Marist. Baker explained, “This was a huge accomplishment for us, since we only started playing as a team a few months prior. Unfortunately, we were not able to advance further in the Nationals tournament; however, we were all grateful to have been given this opportunity by Fairfield, and are very thankful to [sports and entertainment firm] Van Wagner for setting up this tournament. We would also like to thank Fairfield esports and [Gaming Club President] Eryiel Joyce Mascardo '21. Without their dedicated time, we would never have known that the tournament was available to us. We look forward to playing more and developing as a team.”