The team was one win away from a perfect season.

After winning 7-0 in one game of the finals series match against the opposing team, the team captain noticed something.

The opponent was beginning to hesitate.

True to his position the captain spoke up, inspiring his teammates to not take this opportunity for granted.

“I told them ‘Make sure to give it your all because it looks like they’re lacking’,” Pedro Carrillo, captain of the El Camino College Rocket League team, said.

The match was now tied 2-2 in games after El Camino was down 1-2 against Purdue University.

“It doesn’t matter if we’re losing right now, what matters is that we have the endurance to keep going,” Carrillo said to his team. “As long as we keep doing what we’re doing right now, we can break them apart slowly.”

El Camino would continue to break down the Purdue team to win the finals and finish the Rocket League esports season on Dec. 4 with an undefeated 10-0 record.

Wiley Wilson, student services specialist for the Social Justice Center, said for the El Camino Rocket League team to defeat universities such as Purdue, University of Oregon and California State University San Marcos is exciting.

“These other universities have more funding, scholarships, grants and coaches,” Wilson said. “The fact that [our] students are [competing on their own] is incredible. The fact they are beating these programs shows they need more funding.”

Rocket League is a video game that combines a racing game’s fast-paced action and soccer’s technical skills.

Rocket-powered cars can boost around on the field and in the air in an enclosed arena to score a ball into the opposing team’s goal.

Mix in unique physics and maneuvers and you get a game that can be played both for fun or competitively.

Originally released in 2016, Rocket League the game has updated and matured over the years.

So has the competitive esports scene for the game.

Through the Warrior Esports Club at El Camino, Carrillo and his teammates Pedro De Nova and Diego Cisneros were able to compete against other colleges and universities.

Carrillo is no stranger to the esports scene.

Before joining the Warrior Esports Club this fall semester, Carrillo was a part of Leuzinger High School’s esports club where he learned the foundations of being a leader and supporting a team.

As a high school junior, he would mentor his freshman and sophomore teammates about the esports club and how it worked.

“It helped me gain some leadership skills,” Carrillo said. “I would make sure my team was very encouraged to do the best it could and always being ambitious to do so.”

For his current team, Carrillo made sure any positive or negative feedback was pointed out.

“I do not take weaknesses or strengths as bad, I always take them as good. [There’s] always something to work on either individually or as a team,” he said.

Team member De Nova, a social worker, said it was unexpected for the team to go undefeated this season and it was a “really good feeling” knowing they won the final and credits Carillo for maintaining and supporting the team.

“[Carillo] is a respectful person and tries to make sure that we’re all doing okay,” De Nova said.

Carrillo is grateful for his teammates’ good performances this season and the competitiveness both of them brought to the team.

“I want them to do the best wherever they go, I want them to further expand that form of competitiveness into their [schoolwork] and make sure the impact I have towards them they will have towards others in the future,” he said.

Other team member Cisneros, a business administration major, said Carillo helped guide and boost the team by not being afraid of trying new things to improve their skills.

“[Carillo] reached out to a varsity school that also plays Rocket League and were high ranks in the game,” Cisneros said. “We practiced with them and it was nice because even though they were better than us, [we could] reach a certain potential.”

Cisneros is also proud of what the team accomplished this season.

“We did this all by ourselves and with no help really, so it’s kind of like a ‘wow’ moment,” Cisneros said.

Warrior Gaming President Luisa Paredes said she was emotional watching the live stream of El Camino’s final match against Purdue and commends the team’s overall performance this season.

“You can tell they have really good communication and are team players,” Paredes said. “This team is a prime example of what Warrior esports should be.”

Carrillo believes anyone interested in joining the Rocket League esports team or another team in the Warrior Esports Club can get valuable experiences.

“Regardless of whether you want to play or manage in an esports team or just be in the club itself, I believe it can help you in any way possible,” he said. “Whether it be meeting a friend or winning a big competition, you never know until you fully attend or go to our events within the club.”

To find out more about the Warrior Esports Club and Warrior Gaming click here.