KENOSHA, Wis. – On Feb. 27, Carthage Red faced their toughest opponent of this NECC Rocket League season. Southeastern Oklahoma entered with significant momentum after defeating Indiana Tech (4-1, 15-4) to kick off their Spring 2025 campaign.
This Division II – West B match lived up to expectations. This Week Four, seven-game series was determined by which team could play a cleaner game of Rocket League. Southeastern Oklahoma secured the series' opening game, 4-3, after the Firebirds held a 3-1 lead. Carthage Red bounced back with a 4-1 victory in Game Two. Following this, Southeastern Oklahoma claimed Game Three with an overtime goal. The Firebirds responded fiercely by winning Games Four and Five, but Carthage's defense started to waver, and quick fixes failed to mend the gaps. Southeastern Oklahoma won Game Six by a score of 3-2. In Game Seven, the Savage Storm shut down the Firebirds, winning 2-0 while strategically wasting time by clearing shots on defense with a comfortable lead.
Freshman Armando Hernandez (Mando), sophomore Penn Gilchrist (Penn), and junior Alex Vaile (Vaile) adapted to a defensive struggle in the early stages of Game One. With about two minutes remaining, Alexander positioned himself to clear an attempted shot from Oklahoma. The ball flew from Carthage's net into SE Oklahoma's territory, where Alexander scored the game's first goal [2:12]. In response, SE Oklahoma player Deejay flicked the ball into Carthage's net after teammate CrimsonChin eliminated Armando and Alexander [1:48]. The game was tied at one until Penn quickly scored a kickoff goal immediately after SE Oklahoma's equalizer. Next, Alexander launched the ball deep into SE Oklahoma territory off the right wall. Deejay mismanaged a midair touch, allowing the ball to roll in as Carthage took a 3-1 lead. With one minute left, SE Oklahoma built offensive momentum by connecting on midfield passes. One particular pass managed to force Alexander and Penn out of goalkeeping positions. SE Oklahoma's Gamersity capitalized on this mistake, bouncing the ball off Carthage's goal post and into the net [0:42]. With 20 seconds remaining, SE Oklahoma's Gamersity drove the ball from midfield. Penn cut inside, disrupting the ball's flow. While Penn blocked the pass, Gamersity anticipated a favorable bounce to tie the game at three [0:20]. During Game One's overtime, Gamersity evicted Penn from the Firebirds' net, setting up a passing opportunity for CrimsonChin, who scored the game-winning goal from the right corner [+ 1:15].
Games Two and Three highlighted the Firebirds' efforts to keep pace with their opponent. Carthage began the second game with an excellent pass from Penn to Alexander, securing an early goal [4:46]. After some time elapsed, Armando and Penn collaborated on a floating pass from the right side of SE Oklahoma's net, leading to Carthage's second goal [2:07]. Almost a minute later, Armando and Penn teamed up again for a third goal from the left side of SE Oklahoma's net [1:14]. Armando capped off Game Two with a stunning shot on the net, which Deejay couldn't save for SE Oklahoma [0:33]. The scoring in Game Three opened with Deejay flicking the ball over Armando to give SE Oklahoma an early lead [3:00]. SE Oklahoma expanded their lead after CrimsonChin won a contested ground ball against Alexander, hindering his momentum and allowing Gamersity to score freely [1:50]. Down by two goals, Penn lunged from Carthage's backboard, passing the ball to Alexander. Penn eliminated Gameristy with a decisive demo, and Alexander found the net, cutting the deficit to one [0:55]. To continue the upward trend, Alexander broke free from SE Oklahoma and delivered a centered ball from SE Oklahoma's left corner to Armando, who read the pass and tied the game at two [0:33]. With six seconds remaining, Penn attempted to advance the ball into SE Oklahoma's net, but Gamersity blocked the shot and forced overtime. Confronted with a fast-moving ball, Penn decided to contest a shot with Gamersity near Carthage's net. Unfortunately, Gamersity was quicker to the ball and scored the game-winning goal [+ 0:23].
Games Four and Five focused on the Firebirds' ability to recover from setbacks and improve their chances of winning the series. Game Four saw Carthage facing another two-goal deficit after CrimsonChin scored. The first goal was made shortly after the initial kickoff, where Crimson found himself unmarked on the left side of the field. He faked out Armando, while Gamersity pressured Penn, forcing him to jump awkwardly from Carthage's net [4:45]. Crimson's second goal resulted from Gamersity pinching the ball off Carthage's left goalpost. Crimson received the pass and slotted the ball in [3:29]. At the 2:53 mark, Armando controlled the ball at midfield and popped it up for Penn to soar and drive a shot into SE Oklahoma's net for a score of 2-1 [2:50]. To equalize the game, Alexander rushed down midfield with full ball control at the 1:46 mark, pushing it forward while forcing Gamersity back into his net. With the game tied at two, Alexander, Armando, and Penn combined to set up a vital scoring opportunity. Armando and Penn executed a midfield pass that hovered over SE Oklahoma's net. Alexander attempted to place the centered ball inside, but SE Oklahoma defended it effectively. Armando, Carthage's last resort, circled back to the centered ball and struck vigorously, giving the Firebirds a 3-2 lead. From that point, Carthage prevented SE Oklahoma from forcing overtime and evened the series at two. Game Five became a contest of clean rotations and stellar defense. No goals were scored during the five-minute regulation period. Overtime lasted 1:44 after Alexander escaped pressure and carried the ball to Penn, who was positioned near SE Oklahoma's right goalpost. Penn slammed the ball into the net, allowing Carthage to take Game Five and establish a 3-2 series lead.
Game Six highlighted a dichotomy between Carthage's ability to maintain momentum and SE Oklahoma's skill in reclaiming it. In the first 30 seconds of Game Six, SE Oklahoma's Gamersity scored after his teammates overwhelmed Alexander, forcing him to respawn inconveniently without enough time to clear the ball away [4:30]. CrimsonChin launched the ball from midfield toward Carthage's backboard. Armando was back to defend but misjudged CrimsonChin's follow-up touch. CrimsonChin faked out Armando and scored another goal for SE Oklahoma. With the Firebirds trailing 2-0, they found a way to generate offense. Gamersity mishandled a contest shot from Alexander, leaving SE Oklahoma's net vulnerable as Alexander scored for Carthage [2:16]. The Firebirds traded shots until Penn advanced the ball toward SE Oklahoma's right goalpost. He passed it to Armando, who was to his left. As SE Oklahoma scrambled to position themselves, Armando netted a game-tying goal for Carthage [1:30]. With 20 seconds left in Game Six, SE Oklahoma regrouped and fought back, pressuring Carthage's net. Penn tackled CrimsonChin while trying to clear a shot from his backboard. However, Penn narrowly missed the ball, allowing Gamersity to score the game-winning goal for SE Oklahoma, forcing Game Seven.
Game Seven began with both teams exchanging touches for two minutes. SE Oklahoma opened the score with an accidental goal when Deejay, stationed in the right corner, centered a ball for CrimsonChin that he (Deejay) unintentionally blocked. Despite this, the ball remained in place long enough for Gamersity to rotate and place it in Carthage's net [3:01]. Penn capitalized on Deejay's block, leaving the net wide open and missing the chance to recover. SE Oklahoma prevented the Firebirds from scoring for the next two minutes following their previous score. With one minute left, the Savage Storm pressured Carthage's shaky defense and took advantage. CrimsonChin, from left field, lifted the ball into a position only he could anticipate. As the ball descended, Penn missed a touch from Carthage's backboard. Crimson reacted swiftly, beating Alexander to the ball by demolishing him. SE Oklahoma went ahead 2-0 with 0:57 remaining. Although Carthage was determined to mount a late comeback, the Savage Storm obscured their chances.
After a valiant effort, Carthage fell short of the goalpost, losing 4-3. Although the Firebirds (4-1, 19-10) suffered their first loss, they remain in first place in Division II – West B by acquiring more game wins than Indiana Tech (15). Alexander, Armando, and Penn will look to regroup after a tough battle.
"Oklahoma shut us down really well in the beginning of every game and when I went back and watched it, it was because of the risks we were taking. Once we got scored on once or twice in most cases we played with more risks and I think that is what we are going to be working on in practice. Higher risk higher reward gameplay."
- Alexander led the team's scoring pursuit with six goals off 26 shots.
- Penn accumulated a team-leading 16 demolitions, pressuring Southeastern Oklahoma in key spots.
- All three members each obtained double-digit saves; Penn (14), Alex (13), and Armando (10).
- Carthage Firebirds Red (4-1) will return to the Esports Arena on March 6, and compete against the University of Houston Red Cougars (3-1) in an off-sream Best-of-7 series. The Firebirds aim to keep their first-place bid in Division II - West B NECC Rocket League.
- To stay tuned for live updates, follow carthageesports on Facebook, Instagram, and X. To watch our live streams, follow us here: https://twitch.tv/carthageesports
Statistics:
Southeastern Oklahoma State University 15/63 (24%) - Shooting
Gamersity: Eight goals, three assists, nine saves, 21 shots, nine demos, 38% shooting percentage
CrimsonChin: Five goals, four assists, 16 saves, 26 shots, 13 demos, 19% shooting percentage
Deejay: Two goals, three assists, 15 saves, 16 shots, 14 demos, 12% shooting percentage
Carthage Red 15/66 (23%) Shooting
Vaile: Six goals, four assists, 13 saves, 26 shots, eight demos, 23% shooting percentage
Pixlr: Five goals, five assists, 14 saves, 22 shots, 16 demos, 23% shooting percentage
Mando: Four goals, four assists, 10 saves, 18 shots, four demos, 22% shooting percentage
