Collegiate Rocket League Conference Playoffs Results: Northwood Coasts
The biggest college Rocket League tournament in the world wrapped up its Regionals this week. The Collegiate Rocket League Conference Playoffs went down over Tuesday and Wednesday in single-elimination brackets. The two regional champions, Northwood University and University of Missouri move to the national championships as the top seeds. Following them are the runners-up, North Texas and Akron they will also get seeded into the big dance. The 3rd 4th and 5th place teams at regionals will have to play through a wildcard round.
Utter Dominance
Heavily favored through most of the season, Northwood University looked to cap the regular season off with no losses. However, their rivals, Akron had other plans. In the final game of the season, Akron upset Northwood. A result that Head Coach, Cody Elsen, chalked up to team cohesion. It was a down note to drop that final game, but they still qualified for a first-round bye. In the Semis, they came up against, Stockton who, at one point, went up 2-1 in the series. However, the Wolves fought back and ended up winning the series 4-2. In the grand finals, they took their revenge. They met their arch-rivals, Akron, and made quick work of them. The series ended in a 4-0 sweep and Northwood re-cementing themselves as the team to beat in CRL.
Here was our conversation with Coach Elsen right before they locked up the Eastern division event.
Wild, Wild West & Supporting Cast
The western division of Collegiate Rocket League Conference Playoffs is more competitive. The top two teams, Oregon and North Texas went into Regionals with the exact same record and only a one-game differential. So the west side of things was bound to be interesting. And sure enough, the top seed, Oregon, got bounced by Mizzou. Heading into the grand finals, we saw Mizzou take on North Texas. The match was back and forth for the entire game. Each match was separated by one goal outside of the first match. But, in the end, it was Mizzou that stood atop the West.
Also, making it to the National Championship bracket are the wild card teams. Out of the west, Oregon, UT-Dallas, and LSU must play through the extra round. And in the east, Central Florida, Stockton, and Northern Virginia Community College make it in.
The National Championships and Wildcards go down next month on the official Rocket League Twitch. Stay glued to Checkpoint On Campus for the latest news in CRL.