Weekend Yields Mixed Results

Faced with consecutive matches against two of the nation’s top squads, Harvard men’s squash began the weekend in stunning fashion but could not sustain its momentum.

The fifth-ranked Crimson (6-3, 3-2 Ancient Eight) notched a thrilling 5-4 comeback win over No. 7 Penn on Saturday, but fell 9-0 to No. 2 Princeton yesterday.

“They were two very different matches,” junior Frank Cohen said. “Penn was a very good match for us, but Princeton is tough. It’s difficult to play back-to-back when we had such a hard one [Saturday against Penn]. We thought we had a good chance, but it didn’t work out.”

Despite the disappointing Sunday result, Harvard showed tremendous mettle in its first match, converting a 4-2 deficit into victory by closing the contest with three straight wins.

Junior Colin West, sophomore Eliot Buchanon, and Cohen reeled off consecutive victories as the first, fourth, and seventh seeds to overcome a stunned Quaker team.

“It was nice because we definitely came together as a team,” Cohen said. “Usually we rely on the top of the ladder for wins, but it was towards the middle and end of the ladder that we were stronger.”

With victories from the fourth through seventh positions, the Crimson demonstrated enough depth to make a strong showing at the CSA National Team Championships in two weeks. But, after running out of gas against a stellar Tigers squad, Cohen acknowledged that Harvard must prepare for more grueling efforts if it hopes to go far in the tournament.

“I think we know what we’re capable of, but we need to work harder,” he said. “At nationals we have to play back-to-back and we weren’t up to that today.

“We feel like we’re capable of doing better,” he added.

PRINCETON 9, HARVARD 0

The Crimson could not topple its second “Killer P” opponent, dropping each match in straight sets at the Jadwin Squash Courts in Princeton, N.J.

Coming off of stellar victories against Penn’s Thomas Mattsson and Trinity’s Gustav Detter, the second-ranked West (8-1) suffered a setback against the Tigers, falling to senior Mauricio Sanchez. West likely could have overtaken the nation’s top spot with a win, but will continue to stand as one of the best in the country heading into Wednesday’s season finale against Yale.

The day’s best efforts came from the third and fourth seeds, as senior Niko Hrdy (6-3) and Buchanon (3-4) fought tenaciously despite weary legs.

Hrdy took his opponent to 9-7, 9-2, 9-7, showing energy even in the final set, while Buchanon found himself on the wrong end of a 9-5, 9-5, 9-6 loss.

While the rest of the Crimson endured more lopsided defeats, Harvard coach Santinder Bajwa expressed little concern.

“We had a tough 5-4 match [the night before] that left everyone a little flat,” he said. “If anything else we can feel good about the fact that we were playing a tough team.

“Hopefully now we’ll get good rest and these guys will bring their best against Yale,” he added.

HARVARD 5, PENN 4

The weekend’s first match yielded more success for the Crimson. Harvard trailed after six matches but stormed through the closing moments to trump the host Quakers at the Ringe Squash Courts in Philadelphia.

Following early wins from sophomores Richard Hill and J. Reed Endresen, the Crimson stumbled at the two, eight, and nine positions, dropping all three matches in straight sets. After a tight loss by Hrdy, the Crimson found itself in a deep hole, but West responded with characteristic calm in a methodical win. Harvard’s top seed cruised to a 3-0 victory.

Buchanon evened the match at 4-4 with a 3-9, 9-3, 10-8, 9-2 thriller, placing the team’s fate on Cohen’s shoulders.

The junior seventh seed proved very much up to the challenge, dispatching Penn’s Drake Porter 3-1.

“[Cohen was] unbelievable,” Bajwa said. “Frank literally took over the responsibility of the team and pulled out a very tough match. He played like a junior with three years under his belt and I was very happy for him.”

With inspirational play up and down the lineup, the Crimson will look to bring a revitalized squad to Yale next week and mirror its early weekend brilliance.

—Staff writer Max N. Brondfield can be reached at mbrondf@fas.harvard.edu.