MIDDLETOWN, Conn. - On the opening day of a three-day stint at the Wesleyan Round Robin, the 29th-ranked Haverford College men's squash team (4-4) split a pair of matches, grabbing a 9-0 victory over No. 45 Stanford in the afternoon match before falling to the host No. 27 Cardinals by a 6-3 final score in the nightcap.
#29 Haverford 9, #45 Stanford 0
Haverford made quick work of the Cardinal in the opening match of the day at the Rosenbaum Squash Center. The Fords won by sweep at all nine flights on the ladder to cruise to the victory. Haverford showed no signs of rust from a long layoff from competition as they swept past the Cardinal with ease.
Quinton Crawford set the tone for the match as he easily dispatched Ali Hindy in straight games, 11-7, 11-5, 11-9, at the top flight. Noah Tunis and Aaryaman Jaising followed suit, with wins at the second and third flights, respectively, with both Fords taking care of their opponents in the minimum three games.
Peter Lehv and Kai Schinaman also had impressive performances at the fourth and fifth flights, with Schinaman winning a close 13-11 first game in extra points before taking the last two games by relatively straightforward final scores of 11-5 and 11-9.
Ben Schiltz and John Collins both finished off their matches in style, winning their matchups in three quick games. Matt Sullivan and Garret Fantini rounded out the ladder as they also both earned easy wins over their Stanford opponents in straight games.
#27 Wesleyan 6, #29 Haverford 3
Men's Squash put up a valiant effort against a formidable opponent, Wesleyan, in a highly anticipated evening match between two familiar sides.
Despite Wesleyan coming away with the victory by a final score of 6-3, the matchup was tight throughout the evening.
At the top flight, Crawford emerged victorious after a thrilling four-game match against Abhinav Gupta of Wesleyan. With his 9-11, 11-5, 11-9, and 13-11 victory, Crawford proved Haverford's mettle at the top flight for the second consecutive matchup to begin a long weekend of action.
Tunis followed up with an impressive 11-5, 11-6, and 11-9 victory against John Sutherby at the second flight. Despite Shanay Sanghavi getting the better of Aaryaman Jaising in a close three-game battle, Peter Lehv put on a show with an incredible 18-16 victory in the fourth game at the fourth flight en route to securing another crucial tally for the Fords.
In the end, however, the Wesleyan team proved too strong on Friday night, with wins from Ethan Yan, Jack Lungstrum, Morgan Shatzman, Zachary Idinopulos, and Preston Crawford as the bottom of the Haverford latter struggled to find a consistent rhythm against homestanding Wesleyan.
John Collins was an impressive performer at the seventh flight, taking Shatzman to the brink in a 12-10 loss in the third game.
The Fords now return to action tomorrow against another familiar foe in the NESCAC's Connecticut College Camels. The matchup with the 36th-ranked Camels is slated for a 1 p.m. start and fans can follow live scoring via ClubLocker.