Week 2 of the VALORANT and Rocket League action is here! Check out our preview of the esports action.
The Week 2 action picks up on Sept. 12 and 13 for the Esports Collegiate Conference (ESC) 2023-2024 season. VALORANT and Rocket League are up and ready to go after an amazing Week 1. Read on for the updated standings, what to expect, and more.
ESC Week 2 preview
You can find this week's VALORANT matches on the official ESC Twitch account. Meanwhile, Rocket League will be back on the official ESC stream next week.
Streamed ESC match of the week
Northeastern University versus University at Buffalo (VALORANT): Sept. 12 at 8:30 p.m. EST*
The first streamed VALORANT match will be the Northeastern Huskies up against the Buffalo Bulls.
Last week, both teams went into match point against their foes. Unfortunately, the Northeastern Huskies fell to the Ball State Cardinals 5-13 after a tough third map. Meanwhile, the defending ESC champions, the Buffalo Bulls, faced a surprising Toledo squad led by DiddyJr and Juice that came out and took Ascent 13-4. However, the Buffalo Bulls took the series 2-1 in the end.
In the upcoming match, the Northeastern Huskies will need to bounce back after a tough loss in Week 1 of the regular season. Additionally, the last time the Northeastern Huskies and Buffalo Bulls met up was in the 2022 semifinals. The Buffalo Bulls earned a score 3-0 and advanced to the championship. This means an upcoming revenge match for the Northeastern Huskies.
Returning players in Tempest and Darm will need to lead the way for the Northeastern Huskies after a successful third place finish in the regular season last year. As for Buffalo, Bap and win4life will need to bring that championship experience with them for every match this season.
ESC Week 2: Honorable mentions
Akron University versus Miami University (VALORANT): Sept. 12 at 8 p.m. EST*
Another VALORANT match to look out for is the Akron Zips versus the Miami RedHawks. Previously, both teams came out swinging against their opponents with the Akron Zips taking map scores of 13-3 for both of their maps and the Miami RedHawks earning scores of 13-1 and 13-3.
The Akron Zips' roster looked impressive against Central Michigan in Week 1. The team featured two returning players in Acorn and FERAL. It also showcased three new players in Bugz, Mouse, and vorcez.
For the Miami RedHawks, they added Luka and adoumti to the roster alongside the return of Shibe, Comfy, and CCR. After a tough outing last fall and barely scraping by, the Miami RedHawks will need to bounce back this year. The team lost to the Buffalo Bulls in last year's quarterfinals.
The last time the Akron Zips and the Miami RedHawks met, the former team took the series 2-1. Expect both of these teams to continue their successes moving forward.
Related articles
Northeastern University versus Western Michigan University (Rocket League): Sept. 13 at 8 p.m. EST*
The first Rocket League match to look out for on Sept. 13 is the Northeastern Huskies versus the Western Michigan Broncos.
The Northeastern Huskies took wins over Northern Illinois and Northern Kentucky in sweeping fashion last week. Meanwhile, the Western Michigan Broncos took a tough 0-3 loss to Northern Illinois and a 2-3 loss against Kent State in the fifth game.
This week, the Western Michigan Broncos will need to bounce back against a tough Northeastern Huskies squad if they don't want to start the season 0-3. With a close series against one of last year's finalists in Kent State, the Western Michigan Broncos should feel confident heading into their upcoming matches.
The last time these two teams met, the Western Michigan Broncos took the upper edge 4-1 in the quarterfinals.
Akron University versus Ball State University (Rocket League): Sept. 13 at 9 p.m. EST*
The second match of Sept. 13 will be a duel between the Akron Zips and the Ball State Cardinals.
Both teams were on the leaderboard in the previous regular season with impressive records of 13-0 and 12-1 respectively. The defending champions, Akron Zips, started the season strong against Central Michigan and took a clean 3-0 series while their other match got postponed against Miami. On the other side, the Ball State Cardinals drove through Buffalo and Toledo in 3-0 fashion with an impressive 12-1 game against Buffalo.
The Ball State Cardinals are riding high with momentum, but the undefeated Akron Zips look to keep their streak from last season. The upcoming match could determine who gets the first or second seed at the end of the season just like last year.
Stay tuned to esports.gg for more ESC esports news and updates.
*Match times are subject to change.
