In Lakeland's very first semester of sponsoring Esports, Ackema Royes made it the the NJCAAE FIFA 23 finals. unfortunately for the Lakers, Royes was matched up against the defending champion from last year at West Chester Community College and fell by a score of 3-1.

Game 1 Lakeland's Royes chooses Manchester United while Westchester chooses Barcelona. The Lakers got on the board first as they rifled a goal past the netminder at the 6 minute mark of the first period. The Vikings responded with a goal in the 25th minute to knot it at one. Both teams played strong defense and the score would remain 1-1 at the break. Both teams opened up their play some in the second half. Lakeland had a few high quality scoring chances that were knocked away by the Westchester keeper. Royes was able to keep the pressure on and then net the game winner in the 85th minute for a final of 2-1 and a 1-0 series lead.

Game 2  Lakeland stayed with Manchester United and Westchester kept Barcelona. Lakeland's Royes got off to a strong start in game 2 as he scored an early goal for the Lakers. The goal was scored on a centering pass that was then shot past a charging keeper for a 1-0 lead. A moment later, it looked like the Lakers would get a 2nd goal, but that goal was waived off as offsides. The Vikings would counter that call with a goal of their own to tie it at one in the 35th minute. Five minutes later, the Vikings would go ahead 2-1 on a goal off a centering pass. That score would stand until the half. Westchester had a quality scoring chance in the 59th minute, but Royes was able to get the goalie to come out and make an outstanding save. A few minutes later, the Westchester goalie also stonewalled a high quality Laker scoring chance and then pushed a quick counter-attack that led to a 3-1 lead. Lakeland's Royes continued to battle and cut the lead to 3-2 in the 75th minute. The goal was scored on a centering pass from the left side. The Vikings would add a goal in the final minute to secure a 4-2 win and a 1-1 series.

Game 3  The Lakers selected Parish Saint-Germain and the Vikings stayed with Barcelona. The Vikings came out strong in the first half as they netted 3 goals in the first 39 minutes of the half. Royes would pick up a goal in the 40th minute on a pass up the middle and then a shot past the netminder from 15 yards out. The Lakers trailed 3-1 at the half. In the second half, the Lakers had a couple of scoring opportunities, but were unable to convert.  Their best chance came in the 79th minute as the Lakers had a shot from 12 yards out in the center of the field. Unfortunately for Lakeland, the Vikings had a charging goalie who dove and just got a hand on the ball to deflect it away. In extra time, the Lakers also had a goal waived off because they were offsides. The Vikings beat the Lakers 3-1 to take a 2-1 series lead.

Game 4 Lakeland selected Manchester United and Westchester selected Barcelona. This game started fast as both teams were trying to gain the edge. Unfortunately for Lakeland, a penalty kick was called in the 9th minute that the Vikings capitalizd on. After that, the momentum went the Vikings way and they went on to win by a 6-1 final and a series win at 3-1.

Players Persepective

            Ackema Royes "I felt the season went pretty well overall. I had a nice run and won some matches to get to the final which is nice. Coming into the match, I knew my opponent was good - so credit him for his quality play. We really spent time trying to analyze his play and I practiced different strategies to try to get the win. Overall, I was really proud as this was our first season and I'm proud of being the runner-up. We represented Lakeland really well. I'm definitely looking forward to a rematch next semester!"

            Coach Jordan "I was very pleased with the dedication and committment from our players this season. They really played hard and treated it just like a traditional varsity sport. They showed every week - worked to maintain academics, put a lot of time into practice and games, studied film - really everything one would anticipate in a traditional sport is what we were doing. I'm extremely pleased and proud of their efforts and am looking forward to the development of the players and the program in the future."