NEW ORLEANS – After the first fall season in Overwatch 2, the Wolf Pack looked to start the spring season with a win. In their match against Bushnell, the Pack were victorious from beginning to end, not allowing a round win by the opponent.
Next, the Pack will face Cornell College for a chance to start 2-0. The match will be Tuesday, February 14th at 7:30 p.m. and will be livestreamed on Loyola's Twitch channel at https://www.twitch.tv/loynoesports.
Starting things off, the Pack traveled to the Control map, Ilios for the first set. The first round was played on Lighthouse, and Loyola was the first to gain control of the point. Dashiell Hazzard as Pharah and Zachary Puetz as Soldier: 76 kept the damage at a high level, while Roger Bouche kept them alive as Mercy. In short time, the Pack took the first round of Ilios. Ruins was the next map for the second round. Once again, Loyola continued to hold the objective down. With the damage output from the Pack, Bushnell was unable to group up to take the point. On Ruins, Loyola did not allow a percentage point for Bushnell, taking Ilios 2-0, and winning the set to start 1-0.
The Hybrid map, King's Row was next up for the second set. The Wolf Pack began on the attacker's side. Within a minute, the Pack took Objective A and got on the payload. Like a pack of wolves, Loyola stayed together, using numbers to their advantage. The Pack get Bushnell scrambling, continuing to switch heroes, looking for a composition that would work. With 2:33 remaining, the Pack had moved the payload to its destination, taking a 3-0 lead in the second set. Switching to defense, the Wolf Pack needed to prevent Bushnell from doing the same. While Bushnell gained control of Objective A, it took them longer than Loyola, leaving less time to keep the payload moving. With the clock dipping into overtime, Bushnell was just barely able to get to the first checkpoint. After the clock extended, Bushnell was left with 1:30 to reach the end. The Pack quickly ended any hopes of Bushnell taking the second set, stopping the payload and taking a 2-0 lead.
The escort map, Route 66 was the third map of the day. A Loyola victory on Route 66 would complete the sweep and give the Pack a 1-0 record to start the season. Starting on attack and met with very little resistance, the Pack got the payload to its destination with 1:17 remaining, taking a 3-0 lead. Jaiden Lee's switch to D.Va helped keep the rest of the team alive, absorbing much of Bushnell's damage. Zachary Sutherland's play as Kiriko was also strong, evading opponent damage, and keeping the Pack alive. After Bushnell reached the first checkpoint, they were met with a brick wall in the Pack's defense. As time expired, the Pack claimed the third set, winning the match 3-0, starting the spring season with a victory.
You can keep up with the Pack by following Wolf Pack Athletics on Facebook at Facebook.com/LoyolaWolfPack, Twitter and Instagram @LoyolaWolfPack, and by checking out our website at LoyolaWolfPack.com.
