Peninsula Colleges’ Tim Deser became the first Pirate esports player to reach the National Junior College Athletic Association Esports playoffs and he won his quarterfinal match on Monday.
Deser, of Obing, Germany, defeated Christian Castillo of Bismarck State College in North Dakota in a best-of-three FIFA match, winning game one 2-0 and then recording another shutout in game two, 3-0.
The Pirate soccer midfielder, who joined the esports team in January, advances to the NJCAA semifinals. Deser will take on Emilio Jose-Torres of Westchester Community College, in New York, at 4 p.m. Saturday. Fans can watch the match at https://www.twitch.tv/peninsulacollege.
Deser went undefeated through three exhibition season matches and nine league matches for a perfect 12-0 record this spring, allowing just two goals the entire way.
“Tim’s record and stats sum up everything I could say when it comes to his FIFA game play,” esports head coach Katrina Campbell said. “He has been an absolute pleasure to watch both on the traditional and virtual pitch during his time here at PC. Tim’s knowledge and understanding of traditional soccer transferred over to the virtual world without skipping a beat. I honestly couldn’t ask for a better player to lead this inaugural season for Pirate FIFA.”
The winner of Saturday’s semifinal will play in the NJCAA national championship match at 4 p.m. on Thursday, April 28 and live streamed by NJCAAE.
PHOTO: Coach Katrina Campbell left, and Tim Deser