ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The No. 31 Haverford College men's squash team opened up the 2017-18 campaign with a pair of victories at the Navy Round Robin on the campus of the United States Naval Academy, taking a 7-2 decision from the No. 33 Fordham Rams before returning later in the afternoon to take a 8-1 win over the Boston University Terriers. The Fords start the season 2-0 for the second straight year after also besting Richmond and Washington to open the 2016-17 Chaffee Cup Championship campaign a season ago.
Haverford 7, Fordham 2
In the first set of matches, Thomas Kaye made his collegiate debut with a tone-setting victory over the Rams' William Beatrez at the number nine spot on the ladder (11-2, 11-7, 11-4). Zach Cole gave the Fords a second win with a steady approach following a close first game. In the second game, the Haverford co-captain exhibited mental strength and adherence to a game plan, rallying to pull out an impressive 13-15, 11-9, 11-5, 11-7 win over Tommy White at the second position.
At the third position, co-captain Peter Dudley ran into a tough opponent in Will Pantle, as Pantle was able to take a 12-10, 11-6, 5-11, 12-10 victory.
Alex Liu took a 3-1 win over Justin Deckoff (11-13, 11-5, 11-6, 11-6) at the eighth spot to bring the match score to 3-1 while Davis Chase notched an impressive varsity debut at the second spot with an 11-5, 11-1, 11-6 sweep over John Lennon of Fordham for a 4-1 lead.
Andre Giglio lost a battle in his collegiate action at the fourth position (11-8, 11-9, 9-11, 9-11, 11-9) but Yash Singh was able to get past Joseph Hughes after dropping the first game, coming back with a strategy of precise shots that neutralized the size advantage that his opponent enjoyed. Singh clawed his way back to clinch the match for the Fords at the seventh spot.
Tate Miller was locked in a close match with Peter Yuen at the top spot on the ladder, but also prevailed 11-9, 11-9, 9-11, 5-11, 11-7. Fitz Dougherty won his collegiate debut over Bruce Czachor (10-12, 11-4, 11-7, 11-3) to wrap up the 7-2 victory over the No. 33 ranked team in the nation.
Haverford improves to 17-8 all-time against Fordham.
Haverford 8, Boston University 1
Against the Terriers, Kaye again continued his solid collegiate debut with a 11-0, 11-2, 11-4 win over Chad LaVoie to set the tone for Haverford at the ninth spot. Cole also set the standard with a convincing sweep of Cameron Bonhurst (11-4, 11-6, 11-3) at the sixth spot. In the third match to finish, Liu allowed just two points to Raffi Balian in an 11-0, 11-1, 11-1 victory at the eighth position.
The fourth match to finish was Dudley's victory over Parker Tonissi at No. 3 (11-7, 5-11, 11-6, 12-10) before Giglio clinched the match in favor of Haverford with a 13-11, 11-4, 11-9 decision over Julian Lee at No. 5. Singh allowed just seven points in a sweep of Shrey Shah (11-0, 11-3, 11-4) at the seventh position and Dougherty swept Stefano Viacava (11-5, 11-2, 11-4) for a 7-0 lead at the No. 4 position on the ladder.
Chase lost a five-game thriller, battling to the end against Marwan Sallam before falling 11-9, 12-10, 9-11, 6-11, 11-8 at the second spot. Miller took down Hunter Chan 11-6, 12-10, 11-6 at the number one position to seal the 8-1 victory.
With the win in the first matchup between the two squads since the 2014 CSA Team Championships, Haverford improved to 3-0 all-time against Boston University.
The Fords will return to action on Saturday, November 18 as Swarthmore visits the GIAC Squash Courts for the home opener. Match time is slated for 1 p.m.