POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – The 28th-ranked Haverford College women's squash team (2-5) delivered an impressive performance on Saturday afternoon at the Kenyon Squash Courts on the campus of Vassar College, notching a dramatic 5-4 upset over No. 26 Connecticut College (1-3) in the College Squash Association Women's Match of the Week, and a commanding 9-0 victory against 30th-ranked host Vassar (2-6) in Liberty League action.
#28 Haverford 5, #26 Connecticut College 4
In a nail-biter to open the day, Catherine Fortin led the Fords with a thrilling five-game victory over Isabel Schumaker. After splitting the first four games, Fortin emerged victorious with a 13-11, 11-13, 11-4, 7-11, 11-9 triumph, securing Haverford's first point. Joelle Phuah followed with an impressive 11-2, 11-9, 6-11, 11-6 win over Mariam Anwar at the second flight to give the Fords an early 2-0 lead.
The Camels responded strongly, evening the match at 2-2 with sweeps at the third and fourth flights. Gwyneth Perez-Perez defeated Zoe Liu 11-7, 13-11, 11-8, and Miranda Medina edged Julia Carrasco 12-10, 12-10, 11-5.
Kimberly Lucero Portugal reclaimed the lead for Haverford with an 11-8, 11-6, 11-2 sweep over Aman Hamdard at the fifth flight, but Conn regained momentum as Crystal Dixon secured a hard-fought 12-10, 9-11, 9-11, 11-3, 11-4 victory against Caroline Gay, pushing the Camels ahead 4-2.
With their backs against the wall, the Fords rallied at the lower flights. Ofri Geva dominated Angelise Ramirez 11-8, 11-2, 11-4 at flight seven, while Matilda Chartener dispatched Magnolia Strouse 11-3, 11-4, 11-4 at flight eight, evening the match at 4-4. In the decisive ninth flight, Laine Reshefsky delivered a clutch 11-2, 11-4, 11-8 sweep over Anna Slopak, securing the 5-4 upset for Haverford.
#28 Haverford 9, #30 Vassar 0
Riding high from their earlier triumph, the Fords carried their momentum into the second match of the day. Forfeits at the eighth and ninth flights gave Haverford an early lead over Vassar.
Joelle Phuah extended the advantage with an 11-9, 11-3, 11-2 victory over Adriana Ordaya at the top flight, while Catherine Fortin made quick work of Charlotte Tobin at flight two, winning 11-7, 11-3, 11-6.
In flight four, Julia Carrasco recorded her first win of the day, dismantling Sophia Choudhri 11-2, 11-0, 11-1. Zoe Liu clinched the match at flight three, overcoming Sarah Boucher-Rowe 11-4, 11-8, 6-11, 11-5 to give Haverford an insurmountable 5-0 lead.
The Fords continued their dominance with a hard-fought win from first-year Caroline Gay, who battled past Lexi Donshik 11-6, 9-11, 9-11, 11-7, 11-5 at flight five. Aman Hamdard earned her first victory of the day in the sixth flight, defeating Ruby Shang 11-4, 11-3, 11-2. Ofri Geva closed out the sweep with her second win, overpowering Perla Leal 11-5, 11-0, 11-1.
With the pair of victories, Haverford concludes the 2024 portion of its schedule at 2-5, following a challenging slate that included matches against Division I powerhouses No. 3 Penn and No. 10 Drexel. The Fords will resume play in 2025 with a weekend of matches in Middletown, Conn., beginning with No. 19 Wesleyan on January 17 (4 p.m.) before facing No. 22 Denison on January 18 and a rematch with No. 26 Connecticut College on January 19.