The St. Lawrence University esports team will make history tonight when it faces off against Shenandoah "A" in the team's first match as one of the Saints' 35 varsity sports.

The contest, scheduled for an 8 p.m. start, is the first of 10 National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE) Overwatch Fall Cup competitions that make up the bulk of the Saints' Fall 2020 season.

Overwatch is a team-based shooter game; teams of six players compete to complete contest objectives. Each player chooses a hero to play, with three available roles: Tank, damage and support.

PlayOverwatch.com describes each role as follows:

• Tank heroes soak damage and shatter fortified positions, like closely grouped enemies and narrow choke points. If you're a tank, you lead the charge.
• Damage heroes seek out, engage, and obliterate the enemy with wide-ranging tools, abilities and play styles. Fearsome but fragile, these heroes require backup to survive.
• Support heroes empower their allies by healing, shielding, boosting damage, and disabling foes. As a support, you're the backbone of your team's survival.

Each NACE match will be a best-of-five, heads-up competition. There are eight groups in the 2020 NACE Overwatch Fall Cup, with each team facing all the other teams in their group during the regular season. The winner of each group will advance to the postseason tournament.

A live stream of tonight's match will be available on the team's Twitch account, which will begin streaming at approximately 7:50 p.m.