USA falls to lower bracket in IESF
After a Brazilian loss against the Netherlands, the USA secured their place in the playoffs. The squad would meet Argentina, who topped Group A of the competition. This being a double-elimination bracket, a win here doesn't secure a grand final spot and a loss doesn't mean it's over.
On the other side of the bracket, Australia will meet the Netherlands. These are the four strongest teams in the world when it comes down to women's Counter-Strike. Can the USA prevail and take the title of the best team in the world back home?
The series started off with USA's Inferno, the usual pick. The first half ended with Argentina ahead 9-6, before the USA went to the CT-side and managed to turn things around. The defensive side hadn't been the team's strongest during the group stage but when it mattered the most, the squad stepped up. The USA took Inferno 16-14.
The second map would be Argentina's Mirage and, once again, it was a 30-round affair. The United States ended the CT-side behind 8-7 and finished the T-side behind 8-7 as well, as the map ended 16-14 for Argentina. This was a back-and-forth match all throughout, with the biggest round difference being four when Argentina was up 12-8.
The final map was Overpass, a map much loved in Argentinian Counter-Strike. USA was down 9-6 going into the CT-side, which is a good result if the pistol is won by the United States. The team managed to win the second-half pistol round and the following round, before Argentina got their 10th. After that, the USA strung together five rounds, reaching a 13-11 lead. Argentina tied the game 13-13, the USA got the 14th, but Argentina tied again. With another 30-round game on the books, the exhaustion was felt, as the USA managed to get a 15-14 lead with pistols and a FAMAS, but couldn't close the map.
The first half of OT ended 17-16 for the USA after a 4K from Kiara "m1lky" Makua on bathrooms with an AWP. The second half of overtime was a sweep from Argentina, winning the map 19-17 and the series 2-1.
The USA are now relegated to the lower-bracket semifinal where they will meet the loser of Australia vs. Netherlands. The USA play again at 01:00PM.
Argentina feUSA fe| Argentina fe |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Evelin 'chjna' Acuña |
84 - 68 | +16 | 89.2 | 74.0% | 1.25 |
| Lucia 'lulitenz' Dubra |
63 - 62 | +1 | 75.4 | 75.0% | 1.12 |
| Julieta 'khizha' Grillia |
67 - 65 | +2 | 76.3 | 72.9% | 1.11 |
| Camila 'armk4m' Armesto |
52 - 57 | -5 | 56.5 | 72.9% | 0.96 |
| Ana 'BunnyAzul' Azul Giglio |
58 - 71 | -13 | 62.4 | 64.6% | 0.86 |
| USA fe |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Kelsie 'uhKelsie' Click |
77 - 60 | +17 | 89.2 | 74.0% | 1.26 |
| Juliana 'Juli' Tosic |
63 - 64 | -1 | 76.0 | 74.0% | 1.10 |
| Marissa 'madss' Dasta |
71 - 68 | +3 | 80.9 | 69.8% | 1.09 |
| Kiara 'm1lky' Makua |
67 - 72 | -5 | 70.9 | 70.8% | 0.99 |
| Vanessa 'vanessa' Gideon |
44 - 61 | -17 | 49.7 | 66.7% | 0.80 |
