Harvard Chewed Up by Bulldogs in 7-2 Loss

The No. 3 Harvard men’s squash team (5-4, Ivy 3-3) would have liked to end regular season play on a better note, but it fell to No. 4 Yale (11-2, Ivy 5-1), 7-2, in New Haven last night.

“It was disappointing, we really wanted to win today,” junior captain Verdi DiSesa said. “We wanted a victory going into the Nationals this weekend.”

One of the Crimson’s two wins of the night came from No. 1 sophomore Colin West, who quickly defeated Bulldog senior Max Samuel 3-0. West only gave up four points in the entire match.

The other victory came from No. 5 freshman Eliot Buchanan, who beat Yale senior Ho Ming Chiu. Harvard’s No. 3, 6,7,8, and 9 spots all lost their matches 3-0.

“Everyone went out there and gave 100 percent, but I think some of us weren’t competing as well as we could have,” DiSesa said.

Many of the Crimson’s matches could have gone either way. For example, No. 4 Harvard junior Niko Hrdy took the first game against Yale junior Francis Johnson 9-6, but then went on to lose three very close and intense games.

In the most heartbreaking match of the night, No. 2 DiSesa was up 2-0 against Bulldog sophomore Aaron Fuchs. But Fuchs rallied back in the third game and closely won 10-8. Fuchs then went on win the next two games and the match.

Entering the contest, the Crimson knew that Yale would be a tough opponent, but the loss was still very surprising.

“We expected the match to be close, but in the end we thought we would beat them,” DiSesa said.

One aspect that contributed Harvard’s loss was lack of focus.

“Our guys never give up and they try very hard,” West said. “A lot of the matches could have gone either way. But I think that mentally we were weaker than Yale.”

The Crimson is also a comparatively young team, which has been a problem for Harvard all season.

Its starting lineup is composed of four freshmen: J. Reed Endresen, Richard Hill, Eliot Buchanan, and Shawn Low.

Harvard does not have a core of veterans that it has had in years past.

“Having such a young team definitely effects us a lot,” DiSesa said. “When we get into big matches we don’t have as much experience as we need.”

The previous week has been especially trying on the Crimson. Last Wednesday, Harvard lost 9-0 against No. 1 Trinity.

Without much time to recuperate, the Crimson had back-to-back Ivy league matches against Penn and Princeton last weekend.

Harvard came out strong against Penn and earned a 6-3 victory.

But due to Princeton’s sheer depth of talent and having a match the previous day took its toll on Harvard as it lost, 9-0.

This is the first time the Crimson has lost to Yale in its last four competitions with the Bulldogs.

Tonight’s win propelled Yale to the No. 3 positions and dropped Harvard down to the No. 4 position in the CSA championships this weekend.

Before the match, Yale and the Crimson were tied for second place in the Ancient Eight, but after tonight’s loss, Harvard moved to third and the Bulldogs take second place.

The Crimson does not have a lot of time to prepare for the CSA Championships, which begin this Friday.

But Harvard will continue to work hard as it prepares for the upcoming matches.

“Considering we only have one day until the nationals, all we do it practice hard and focus,” West said.

The CSA nationals will be at the Murr Center this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. In its first contest of the tournament, Harvard will face Western Ontario on Friday at 11:30 a.m.

The nationals will also offer the Crimson the opportunity to redeem itself against past foes such as Trinity and Princeton.

“The only direction we have to go is up,” DiSesa said.

—Staff writer Alison E. Schumer can be reached at schumer@fas.harvard.edu.