Philadelphia Union II saw its run for the USL eCup Rocket League Edition conclude Tuesday night, falling to a stingy Tacoma Defiance by the tightest of margins.
Union II captain Evan Slabicki began the tournament an unknown in the Rocket League world, being ranked by the USL to finish last in their initial power rankings. Slabicki used the article as motivation as he looked to raise money and awareness for City Team Chester in the tournament and did just that with a perfect 3-0 group stage performance and a quarterfinals victory over El Paso last week.
Taking on the West Coast opponent, it came down to finishing chances and a few bounces that proved decisive in the opening match. The two sides traded goals until the Defiance grabbed a 3-1 lead with just over three minutes remaining. Union II battled back with back-to-back goals to even the match at 3 with 2:17 left but a poor kickoff saw Tacoma score six seconds later and hold on the for the 4-3 win.
The second match was much the same with both esports competitors battling back and forth for possession in the midfield, forcing Tacoma to change it's attack by going to the sky. The late change proved the difference as Tacoma grabbed a 3-2 lead that it wouldn't relinquish and finish by a 5-3 scoreline.
Playing for the club's tournament life, Union II fought until the final second of the match despite trailing 10 seconds into the third contest. Slabicki found an equalizer just a minute into the match but once more fell behind with 2:59 remaining. With the stakes at their highest, Union II bagged the tying goal 20 seconds later however the final bounce went in Tacoma's favor once again with a 3-2 winning goal coming with 1:49 left.
