Week 1 of the University of New Haven's regular season within the National Esports Collegiate Conference has just wrapped up with a few wins and a few losses under our belt as teams get back into the swing of things.

Tuesday, February 3rd, 2026

Our Super Smash Bros team went up against Lebanon Valley College (Annville, PA) in what was a very close match. LVC barely came out on top, winning the match 2-1 against our Chargers, who fought their hardest. 

On the other side of the Stable, our Marvel Rivals team was busy preparing for their match against the University of Waterloo (Waterloo, ON). They had a rough start to the season with the two teams merging together, which was seen on Tuesday with a 0-3 loss. However, the team never lost its spirit, continuing to encourage each other and constantly practicing.

Wednesday, February 4th, 2026

As Wednesdays are one of the busiest days in the Stable, the energy was loud and excited. New Haven's Rainbow 6 Siege, Counter-Strike 2, and Rocket League teams were all warming up and getting ready for their matches for the night.

Similar to Marvel Rivals, the Rainbow 6 Siege and Counter-Strike 2 teams have experienced recent changes to their rosters, posing a rough transition into the new season for both teams. Our Rainbow 6 Siege team went up against the University of Central Florida (Orlando, FL), and Counter-Strike 2 went against Seton Hill University (Greensburg, PA), with both teams losing 0-2. Our Rocket League team went up against North Carolina State University (Raleigh, NC), in which they also lost in a drastic 0-4 fashion.

Thursday, February 5th, 2026

Once again, Marvel Rivals had their second match of the week, this time against Middle Tennessee State University (Murfreesboro, TN), as the team ranked higher on paper than New Haven. Tensions were high, but they ended up having an incredible match against MTSU. Each match was back and forth, where Map 5, game point, went into overtime, and New Haven managed to win 3-2. 

Across the room, our League of Legends team was going up against New England College (Henniker, NH), hoping their current momentum with their win streak would carry them to victory, and indeed it did. The team won 2-0 against NEC, quickly solidifying their confidence and making them excited to keep playing the season.

Friday, February 6th, 2026

The final matches of the week were for our Varsity and Junior Varsity Overwatch 2 teams. Our Varsity team, having been placed in Division II despite the changes to their roster, has been endlessly practicing with one another. They were put up against Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Worcester, MA), the school that, during playoffs, drastically beat both the teams that New Haven lost to, leaving a chilling reputation in their wake. Things seemed grim when the team was down 0-2, but in classic New Haven fashion, they took back the match in a reverse sweep, winning 3-2.

Our Junior Varsity team had been ripped to shreds at the beginning of the semester, with players being promoted to Varsity or taking time away from the university, leaving only two veteran members left. However, despite the hardships, the current team has been practicing endlessly to quickly improve and adapt. Against their latest match against Quinnipiac University (Hamden, CT), they won 3-1.

In Upcoming Weeks

Although New Haven suffered more losses than wins during this first week of the regular season, spirits are high. With NACE (National Association of College Esports) and ECC (East Coast Conference) starting up next week, we are looking forward to seeing what many of our Junior Varsity teams compete for the first time this season, as well as what our current teams are doing.

Interested in watching our matches? We broadcast them every day on Twitch (unewhavenesport and unewhavenesport2) as well as posting the replays on YouTube later! Make sure to drop us a follow and stay tuned to more weekly recaps!