KENOSHA — After a largely successful WEC Week One campaign, the rocket boosts were propelled, while Valorant's ascent was halted. Carthage Esports' Rocket League (JV/Black, Academy/White, Club/Grey) teams and Valorant competed in WEC Week Two action on Monday, Sept. 22, and Thursday, Sept. 25, respectively. Additionally, Carthage RL Red enjoyed the luxury of a bye week. 

WEC Week Two Recap – Rocket League JV (Black) vs. UW Milwaukee Panthers Black

Score: Carthage 3, UW Milwaukee 1

Carthage JV (Black) includes junior captain Penn Gilchrist (Pixlr), junior Lucas Menzer (Joyystik), and senior Tanner Lee (Flare). On Monday, Sept. 22, the team captured a 3-1 win and improved to 2-0 on the season.

Game One saw a 3-1 final score in Carthage's favor after a two-goal performance from Menzer. Additionally, Gilchrist secured a goal and assisted both goals scored by his teammate. Lee added a save to strengthen the Firebirds' defense. Menzer carried his momentum into Game Two, where he exploded for a three-goal performance, shooting 100% from the field. Gilchrist and Lee pitched in for an assist each. UW-Milwaukee picked up the pace in Game Three after a 3-1 win, where each one of their players scored. Gilchrist scored the lone goal for Carthage. The series was wrapped up with a 4-1 JV (Black) win as Lee and Menzer scored two goals each on four shots. Gilchrist pitched in with two assists.

Carthage JV (Black) led in these major categories: Goals (11-5), Assists (8-4), Shots (34-15), and Demos (15-9). Menzer led his team with seven goals, two assists, one save, 13 shots, and three demos. Gilchrist recorded two goals, five assists, three saves, nine shots, and six demos. Lastly, Lee accumulated two goals, one assist, two saves, 12 shots, and six demos.

Fall 2025 WEC Season Player Stats Through Weeks One and Two – Carthage JV (Black)

• Lucas Menzer (Joyystik): 10 Goals, Five Assists, Six Saves, 28 Shots, 10 Demos 
• Penn Gilchrist (Pixlr): Six Goals, Seven Assists, 10 Saves, 30 Shots, 14 Demos 
• Tanner Lee (Flare): Five Goals, Four Assists, Five Saves, 24 Shots, and 12 Demos

Carthage RL JV (Black) takes on UW Madison (0-2) in an off-stream best-of-five series on Monday, Sept. 29 at 6:00 pm CST. 

Player Comments (Penn Gilchrist): "We played some solid Rocket League. We are finding our form as a cohesive unit. UW-Milwaukee gave us a good fight, but they looked a little flat against us, with not much offensive threat other than their newest acquisition. There is nothing negative to say, even if things are rough for us. Playing alongside my best friend of 15 years, [Lucas Menzer], and Tanner, who has become a role model for me, has been wonderful so far."

WEC Week Two Recap – Rocket League Academy (White) vs. UW-Madison

Score: Carthage 3, UW Madison 0

On Tuesday, Sept. 23, Carthage Academy (White) faced UW-Madison in a rescheduled best-of-five series. The team is comprised of senior captain TJ Buchmann (Blasecupid), sophomore Kaliek Wade (Akko), and freshman Jimmy Prims (ItsSlurp17). The series lasted only three games as Carthage completed a sweep and advanced to 2-0, matching their counterpart, Carthage JV (Black).

Game One prompted a shutout 3-0 win for the Firebirds. Prims led the charge with two goals on two shots, with two saves. Wade slotted in one goal, one assist, and two saves. Buchmann added an assist to balance out the offense. Game Two prompted a nail-biting 3-2 win for Carthage. Wade scored two goals on two shots, Prims forced five shots with one being a goal, and Buchmann provided three saves to fend off UW-Madison's offensive pursuit. Carthage Academy (White) cashed in momentum for a 4-1 Game Three victory. Buchmann led the way with two goals, two assists, two saves, and seven shots on net. Prims followed suit with one goal and three saves. Wade chipped in one goal, two assists, two saves, and six demos.

Carthage Academy (White) led in these major categories: Goals (10-3), Assists (9-1), Shots (27-19), Saves (16-11), and Demos (16-8). Wade secured four goals, four assists, four saves, six shots, and nine demos. Prims accumulated four goals, one assist, seven saves, 10 shots, and three demos. Lastly, Buchmann accumulated two goals, four assists, five saves, 11 shots, and four demos. 

Fall 2025 WEC Season Player Stats Through Weeks One and Two – Carthage Academy (White)

• Jimmy Prims (ItsSlurp17): Seven Goals, One Assist, 12 Saves, 22 Shots, Four Demos
• Kaliek Wade (Akko): Five Goals, Seven Assists, Five Saves, Nine Shots, 14 Demos
• TJ Buchmann (Blasecupid): Three Goals, Five Assists, Seven Saves, 22 Shots, Seven Demos

Carthage RL Academy (White) takes on UW Milwaukee White (2-0) in an off-stream best-of-five series on Monday, Sept. 29 at 6:00 pm CST. 

Player Comments (TJ Buchmann): "Homey Badgers were the antithesis of our team. They played a slow and passive game that was completely dismantled by our fast, aggressive playstyle. We felt in control the entire series, even in a close Game Two. Slurp (Jimmy Prims) looked to be the best on the pitch, and Akko (Kaliek Wade) was scoring every ball that came his way. This match gave us a lot to feel confident about."  

WEC Week Two Recap – Rocket League Club (Grey) vs. UW Superior

Score: UW Superior 3, Carthage 0

On Monday, Sept. 22, Carthage Club (Grey) competed against UW-Superior in a best-of-five series. The team includes sophomore captain Tim Fendrick (Hvstl), junior Josh Martin (RacingDevliz), and junior Andrew Czysz Jr (TurbidJuggler). Despite these quests to even their record, Club (Grey) dropped to 0-2 on the season after a brutal loss.

Game One contained a 5-1 loss at the hands of UW-Superior. Early on, Czysz scored the team's only goal while being assisted by Fendrick. Martin contributed three saves in an attempt to stop UW-Superior from scoring rapidly. Game Two repeated itself with another huge loss, 6-1, this time. Martin scored the lone goal while recording three saves. Czysz put up two saves while Fendrick saved one shot. Game Three was a narrow 1-0 loss in which Grey (Club) generated significantly more pressure on UW-Superior, but could not capitalize with a game-tying goal late in the contest.

Carthage Grey (Club) was outscored in every category except saves: Goals (2-12), Assists (1-8), Saves (10-7), Shots (25-10). Marin contributed one goal on three shots and a team-leading six saves. Czysz recorded one goal on three shots and two saves. Fendrick supplied an assist and two saves.

Fall 2025 WEC Season Player Stats Through Weeks One and Two – Carthage Academy (White)

• Andrew Czysz Jr (TurbidJuggler): Four Goals, Two Assists, Seven Saves, Eight Shots, Four Demos*
• Tim Fendrick (Hvstl): Three Goals, Four Assists, Eight Saves, Eight Shots, Three Demos*
• Josh Martin (RacingDevilz): Three Goals, No Assists, 11 Saves, 20 Shots, Three Demos*

Carthage RL Grey (Club) takes on UW Whitewater Black (2-0) in an off-stream best-of-five series on Monday, Sept. 29 at 6:00 pm CST. 

Player Comments (Andrew Czysz Jr): "We felt great mentally heading into this game after scrimmaging beforehand. However, a glaring flaw in our composition is being able to adjust to faster teams. Personally, I need to be a better communicator and facilitator when calling out opponent counterattacks and trusting rotations. I believe this team can turn things around. It all starts with maximizing the hours we have to practice before gameday."

WEC Week Two Recap – Valorant vs. UW-Milwaukee Gold

Ending our recap, Carthage Valorant fought UW-Milwaukee Gold in a best-of-three contest on Thursday, Sept. 25. Valorant suffered a heartbreaking 2-1 loss at the Panthers' expense. The roster contains junior captain Sergio Musaitef (Gio), senior Mady Savage (Bunny), junior Aiden Hecht (Hecht), and newcomers Thalia S (Jellyfish) and Charlie P (Opt1mal).

Valorant Game Explanation: Valorant is a five-versus-five character-based tactical FPS where teams switch between attacking and defending bomb sites. It's similar to Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege. However, Valorant is a more traditional shooter focused on precise gunplay and agent abilities on mostly static maps. Teams typically play best-of-three matches in the WEC. In each match, the winner is the first to win 13 rounds. Offensively, rounds are won either by eliminating the entire enemy team before planting the spike or by planting the spike and defending it from attackers. Defensively, rounds can be won in the same way as on offense, except defenders can also defuse the planted spike by eliminating the attackers.

Map One (Ascent / 13-4 Loss): Carthage Valorant began their night on Ascent, a highly regarded map within the team's repertoire. However, things did not go their way. A map filled with tough sledding and a razor-sharp margin for error. The team recorded 51 eliminations / 71 deaths (0.72 Team K/D), 22 assists, three spike plants, and no spike refusals. 

Map One's best performing player was Musaitef, going 16-15 (1.06 K/D) and claiming one assist. Charlie P followed with a 13-14 (0.92 K/D) performance coupled with four assists. Thalia S went 9-14 (0.64 K/D) with eight assists and a spike plant. Hecht went 7-15 (0.46 K/D) with six assists. Lastly, Savage went 6-13 (0.46 K/D), coupled with three assists, and led the team with two spike plants.

Map Two (Bind / 13-6 Win): After the grueling Ascent playthrough, Carthage evened the series 1-1 after earning a 13-6 victory over UW-Milwaukee Gold. The Firebirds found momentum and never looked back. As a team, Carthage accumulated 82 eliminations / 59 deaths (1.39 Team K/D), 38 assists, six spike plants, and three spike defusals. 

Map Two's best performing player was Charlie P, who went 24-10 (2.4 K/D), had seven assists, and three spike plants. Next, Hecht went 19-10 (1.9 K/D) and claimed 11 assists. Musaitef went 18-15 (1.2 K/D) with six assists and a spike plant. Savaged matched Musaitef with a 1.2 K/D on 12 eliminations / 10 deaths while also having an assist and spike plant. Lastly, Thalia S went 9-14 (0.64 K/D), led the team with 13 assists, and planted the spike once.

Map Three (Corrode / 13-10 Loss): After a feisty comeback in Map Two, Carthage Valorant was eager to turn the tide completely. However, UW-Milwaukee Gold kept the Firebirds in check. As a team, Carthage recorded 77 eliminations / 91 deaths (0.85 K/D), 38 assists, seven spike plants, and five spike defusals. 

Map Three's best performing player was Charlie P once again, who secured a 1.61 K/D on 29 eliminations and 18 deaths, seven assists, and one spike plant. Hect went 15-17 (0.88 K/D), secured nine assists, and one spike plant. Next, Savage went 14-18 (0.77 K/D), had six assists, and led the team in spike plants with four. Thalia S went 10-19 (0.52 K/D), accumulated seven assists, and planted the spike once. Musaitef finished 9-19 (0.47 K/D) and claimed nine assists.

Fall 2025 WEC Season Player Stats Through Weeks One and Two – Carthage Valorant

• Charlie P (Opt1mal): 109-61 (1.79 K/D), 34 Assists, Six Spike Plants
• Sergio Musaitef (Gio): 75-64 (1.17 K/D), 24 Assists, Two Spike Plants
• Mady Savage (Bunny): 50-53 (0.94 K/D), 12 Assists, 12 Spike Plants
• Aiden Hecht (Hecht): 63-59 (1.07 K/D), 45 Assists, One Spike Plant
• Thalia S (Jellyfish): 57-62 (0.92 K/D), 41 Assists, Nine Spike Plants

Carthage Esports will return for WEC Week Three action starting Monday, Sept 29. Follow us on all social media platforms (@carthageesports) to stay updated. Follow us on all social media platforms (@carthageesports) to stay updated. Follow our Twitch channel to get notifications when broadcasts go live. Additionally, Carthage's WEC schedule can be viewed here, so you can always catch up on what teams are competing weekly during the Fall 2025 season.