HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College men's squash team earned its second win of the season Saturday rolling to an 8-1 victory over the visiting University of Pennsylvania club team. The Fords fell, 9-0, to second-ranked Yale University in their second match of the day on the Gooding Integrated Athletic Center squash courts.
Six players for Haverford (2-8) swept through their matches against Penn with perfect 3-0 scores. Alex Spiliotes (at No. 1), Chris Tyson (No. 2), Harry Gallway (No. 3), Peter Boal (No. 6), Jonathan Nguyen (No. 7) and Matt Rohn (No. 9) earned points for the 43rd-ranked Fords without dropping a game.
Charlie Michele picked up another point for the Fords with a 3-1 triumph in the fifth-slot. Michele broke out front with wins in the first two games before Penn's Robert Golden rallied with an 11-7 game three victory. Michele halted Golden's upset bid, however, with a quick 11-4 win in the fourth. Bret Marlowe was credited with the team's eighth point with a default victory at the No. 8 spot.
The gritty Fords made the nationally-ranked Bulldogs earn their points in the day's second match. Michele lost in three to Yale's Ryan Dowd at No. 5 but battled the visitor in each game before falling 11-4, 11-5 and 11-7. Tyson at No. 2 and Spiliotes at No. 1 also put up resistance before succumbing to their Yale opponents. Tyson lost 11-6, 11-3 and 11-5 while Spiliotes was downed by 11-6, 11-3 and 11-1 scores. Marlowe battled Yale's Charlie Wyatt -- 11-4, 11-3, 11-6 -- in the eight slot.
Head coach Niki Clement was pleased with the results on the day. "We've played some pretty tough opponents leading up to this weekend's matches which has prepared our guys for the level of intensity needed from the start when playing teams like this Penn club and Yale," said Clement. "It is rewarding, for me and I'm sure our players, to see what we've been working on in practice being applied in their matches."
Clement's Fords will take a break from competition for the next month with their next event, the Pioneer Valley Invitational, slated for Jan. 21-22.