El Paso Locomotive FC bowed out of the USL eCup: Rocket League Edition with a 3-1 series loss to Philadelphia Union II on Tuesday. Through a hotly-contested best-of-five game series. GK Logan Ketterer mounted the comeback for a second-round victory after falling just short of a comeback victory in round three to keep Locomotive FC on the board.
Ketterer proved that his goalkeeper skills can translate well to the virtual landscape after making multiple early saves in the first few minutes to limit the Philadelphia Union scoring. Union II was able to find two however before Ketterer used his first touch finesse to find his opening goal at the kickoff. The Eastern Conference side pulled ahead however to claim the first round, 5-2.
Philadelphia looked to get off to quick start again, scoring its first goal within 40 seconds, however, Ketterer leveled the scoring just seconds after with a fast goal. Union II took over possession with two goals, however, Ketterer was able to quickly respond taking the lead for the first time with less than a minute remaining with three unanswered goals. The second round turned dramatic after the Locomotive go-ahead goal was negated from the kickoff with one in kind from Philadelphia. It was heroics from Ketterer with zero seconds left on the clock to secure the win in game two.
The tone of the remaining two games was set as Philadelphia Union II found another early goal before advancing its lead 6-1. Ketterer fought to close the gap in the dying moments, finding three goals to end the round 7-4 in Union II’s favor. Game 4 saw Philadelphia Union take control and fall into the rhythm of the match, providing Locomotive FC with a hard-fought test before ultimately forcing the Texas side to bow out of the inaugural Rocket League tournament.