24 of the best Drone Soccer teams from around the country met at the SKYDOME Drone Research facility in Rome, NY to compete in a two-day double elimination tournament to determine the 2025 US Drone Soccer National Champion.
The OA Drone Soccer team has much to be proud of. Back in July, they opened a box of technical parts, wondering if they would know how to build, program, and even fly these sophisticated drones, let alone develop a team that could be competitive in tournament games.
At the National tournament, Owego was seeded in the most challenging bracket, having to face two previous National Champions in their first two games. The first year Owego team battled through tough games Friday and Saturday to finish 5th in the Nation (the top two teams were from California, and the team that eventually took OA out was from Colorado).
Owego won their first game Friday in two sets, beating the Sato Dragons from California, who were the 2022 National Champions. In game two, they faced the Calibri Black Jags (also from CA and last year's Champions). Owego finished set one ahead of the Black Jags with a score of 21-20, but had a goaltending penalty and ended up losing that set (22-21). They dropped set 2 in an extremely close back and forth two goal game (22-20).
Owego then climbed up through the loser's bracket beating teams from California and Tennessee and the River Hawks showed tremendous sportsmanship throughout the entire tournament.
It may not have been the result OA hoped for, but it was an amazing accomplishment to finish as the highest-placing rookie team. Most importantly, they were a team that persevered through challenges and came together to compete against the best teams in the country at the highest level.
You can watch the National Tournament footage on the YouTube page here: U.S. Drone Soccer