The Red Flash Rocket League Red team had their first match of the season against Northeastern on Thursday, and it was nothing short of a nail-biter.
In game one, the Red Flash immediately attempted to play their skilled defense, but it wasn't stopping Northeastern from gaining immediate possession of the ball. The Red Flash brought forth their defense with Rex "Llamski" Payne contributing a game high of 4 saves and 1 shot to the goal. Despite the Red Flash's hard effort to stop Northeastern, they managed to score two goals in less than a minute. Dan "Danzz" O'Hara and Dom "Dkoot" Kutsick each had one save, but Northeastern's defense dominated as they claimed the match with a final score of 5-0.
Game two was a hard fight for the Red Flash. Llamski begins the game with an epic save and clear ball to push the ball into the offensive zone. After about a minute, the scoreless battle became Northeastern scoring their first goal making it a 1-0 match. Another Northeastern goal was scored after Danzz attempted the save at the goal. After a missed shot attempt by Northeastern, the Red Flash took over. After some tough defense and a shot on goal with a minute remaining, Llamski scored making it 2-1. Dkoot tallied up two saves and The Red Flash made a comeback. With less than 15 seconds in the match, a clutch goal was made by Dkoot. The 2-2 tie led the Red team to overtime, in which Northeastern wasted no time by responding with an immediate shot on goal. Danzz and Llamski made impressive saves in overtime, but nothing put a stop to Northeastern's offense as their goal ended the game. A thrilling performance of defense with a team total of 7 saves couldn't control Northeastern from claiming their second win. The final score of this game was 2-3.
Game three was a turning point for the red team. Dkoot defended the goal while Danzz contributed a nice save to start the game. Llamski pushed into the offensive zone to clear the ball from our zone. Dkoot was able to get ahead of Northeastern's skilled defense with a goal for a 1-0 Red Flash lead. Within the first two minutes, Danzz cleared after Dkoot had a save on the corner shot. Llamski had a good push on the ball after an impressive save at the goal line, which drove Northeastern into their defensive zone. Another goal by Dkoot boosted the Red Flash to their first victory of the game. All three players had a game high of two saves, and Danzz tallied two assists along with one shot on goal. The Red team was able to keep the ball in the offensive zone for a final score of 2-0.
Game four led the Red Flash to success. Llamski drove the ball out of our defensive zone, and Dkoot scored 25 seconds into the match for a 1-0 lead. Seconds later, the Red Flash took over in the offensive zone with back-to-back goals scored by Danzz. With a 3-0 lead in the game, Llamski gets first touch at the faceoff to continue the game. Danzz with the center attempt led to Dkoot's attempt by a shot on goal which was blocked by Northeastern's defense. With about three minutes remaining, Northeastern then broke the three-goal lead by scoring two goals, making it a 3-2 game. Dkoot contributed another goal mid game with a score of 4-2 with about 1:30 left in the game and had a high of 3 goals this game. Although Northeastern scored a final goal in the game at the end, the Red Flash won with a score of 4-3.
The Red Flash couldn't get the victory in game five. Northeastern quickly led the way, and the game was scoreless until about 2 minutes remained when Northeastern scored. Dkoot then scores with the assist of Llamski to make it tied with a score of 1-1. With two rebound saves from Llamski, Northeastern scored again shortly after. Dkoot and Danzz had two saves and a combined total of 4 shots on goal. With 30 seconds remaining, Northeastern scored again which led to a final score of 1-3.
The Red Flash attempted to make a comeback in game six. They kept up with their offensive strategy, and within one minute Llamski scored, leading the Red team 1-0. Northeastern's tough defense made it difficult to keep the ball in the offensive zone. With about three minutes remaining, Llamski makes a game changing save at the goal and moves the team into the offensive zone. With the help of Danzz's saves by guarding the goal, Dkoot was able to drive the ball into the zone with a shot on goal. The only goal was scored by Llamski in this game, who had one save and two shots on goal. The Red Flash's determination was strong, but Northeastern claimed this game with a score of 1-3.
The final score of the Rocket League Red team vs. Northeastern on October 18, 2023, was 4-2.
