Ashland University esports brought home the program's first national championship, toppling Cumberland Phoenix in a 3-1 victory in NECC Division I.
Samuel "-sml_" Oliveira led the team with 93 kills and 17 assists, reaching a 1.94 kill/death ratio throughout the four maps.
Leo "zYon" Garcia followed closely with a 69 kills and 21 assists.
After Ashland won the first map, "Inferno," Cumberland tied up the night with a victory on "Mirage." Following a win on the third map, the Eagles won the fourth and final map, "Overpass," with a dominant 13-3 score to secure the best-of-five series victory.
In an interview with Garcia and Oliveira, the Eagle duo gave insight on how the team rallied to bring the championship home to Ashland.
"I think after four years of playing, it finally came together and then I was pretty happy," Garcia said. "I think it's just that feeling of fulfillment... everything we worked for, and we managed to capitalize on it."
Garcia joined Ashland esports as an international student from Brazil, finding his second home. In his senior year, he finally achieved the goal he set out to accomplish when he first stepped foot on campus.
"It's awesome," he said. "I mean, I came from Brazil for that. I came here with only the purpose of trying to win something for the university and make us a national champion."
In his first season with Ashland, Oliveira helped achieve program history. According to CollegeCounter, Oliveira is the highest-ranked Counter-Strike 2 collegiate player in the country. Raised in Portugal, he transferred to Ashland this year as a junior in college. Speaking on his background and immediate rise in the collegiate CS2 scene, Oliveira illustrated his dedication to the team and the game.
"It's my background," Sam opened. "I feel like the amount of CS I've played, it's a game that I love. I've grinded a lot into it, and the background that I have playing amateur and semi-pro back in Europe, and being recruited here - I feel like it's the love of the game, the grind and the hours that I've put into it. When the guys leave the arena, I usually stay. I'm the last one to leave and sometimes the first one to come. So, I feel that makes a difference."
Looking forward to the spring semester, they confirmed the goal is the same as the fall - win it all.
With two LANs (in-person competitions) in the spring semester, the Counter-Strike 2 team is excited to continue their national dominance and experience in-person play for the first time.
Garcia said it plainly, "Our goal is to win."
So far, winning is what the Eagles have done. NECC Divsion I action will return with another season in the 2026 spring semester, but the fall is not done just yet for the Eagles. Their fall competition continues Friday (Dec. 5) against the highest-ranked collegiate team in the country, Fisher College, in the PCL (PlayVS College League). The match will be streamed live at
www.twitch.tv/ashlandesports at 8:30 p.m..
Â
