Men’s Squash Topples No. 4 Rochester in 7-2 Win

Coming off of back-to-back losses to top-five opponents, the No. 5 Harvard men’s squash team (11-2, 2-1 Ivy) looked rejuvenated Saturday afternoon at Barnaby Courts, as the Crimson ended its skid with a commanding, 7-2 upset of No. 4 Rochester.

“It was great to get back to winning ways,” rookie Nick Hopcroft said. “We were coming off of losses to Princeton and Trinity, and those losses really motivated us to come back strong. We showed our bounce-back ability and came back with the best performance of the season.”

The No. 4 Yellowjackets (6-3, 4-0 Liberty League) picked up the first individual match of the day, as Rochester junior Juan Pablo Gaviria topped sophomore Tommy Mullaney in three games at the No. 9 spot, 11-9, 11-9, 11-8. But Harvard rebounded in its other first-cycle matches, with sophomore Nigel Koh and Hopcroft earning wins for the Crimson.

“It’s interesting with squash that you play the individual, [not the team],” co-captain Will Ahmed said. “[Saturday’s] match was a good example of us not letting other people’s matches affect how we play. We saw that against Trinity when we went down, 3-0. Yesterday, everyone was focused on their own match…and that’s what it takes to win.”

Koh, who is also a Crimson business editor, tied it up for Harvard with an impressive showing at the No. 6 spot. Despite dropping his second game by a margin of eight points, the sophomore came back strong to take the match, 3-1.

Hopcroft followed suit, taking down Rochester’s Joe Chapman in four games as well.

Harvard did not relinquish its 2-1 advantage. The Yellowjackets mustered just one more individual victory over the Crimson at the No. 8 spot, as junior Zeke Scherl lost in four games.

“We were very confident going into the match because we’re a strong team, but Rochester is a very, very good team,” Hopcroft said. “They beat us 9-0 last year, and to be able to avenge that was brilliant. Everyone is extremely excited.”

After that, it was all Harvard. The Crimson claimed wins in the top seven spots to seal its first upset of the year.

“[This win] was crucial, the result as much as finding that edge and team chemistry to come together and find a way to have a dominant win,” Ahmed said. “We showed a lot of mental toughness that we were lacking against Trinity, and it’s refreshing to see that back in the program. We had a lot of tough, hard-fought matches went our way, and that speaks volumes to our preparation.”

Sophomore Ali Farag made quick work of Rochester junior Andres Duany—a second-team All American last season—in the fourth match of his college career, taking down his opponent in three games, 11-8, 11-6, 11-3. Farag is currently undefeated at the No. 1 spot for Harvard.

It was the middle of the ladder that provided closest competition on Saturday. At the No. 4 spot, sophomore Gary Power found himself down, 2-1, in games. But the reigning first-team All-American took the fourth in dramatic fashion, 14-12, before securing the final game, 11-7.

“[Coming up with wins in four and five-game matches] is something we’ve been working on from the beginning of the season,” Hopcroft said. “When it gets close, we have to have the mental strength to come through in those games.”

Freshman Tyler Olson and senior Matt Domenick battled to five-game Harvard victories as well. The pair traded games, with Olson taking the first and third and his opponent claiming the second and fourth. But the Harvard rookie earned the win with an 11-6 effort in the final game.

“We have a very young team, but were not going to use that as an excuse,” Hopcroft said. “We’ve been called a talented team, but talent doesn’t win matches. You have to put in the hard work....We’re working on maturing now rather than later, and everyone on the team gels really well.”

Sophomore Brandon McLaughlin won his third straight matchup at the No. 2 spot for Harvard, taking down Rochester senior Benjamin Fischer in four games. And freshman Julian Kirby rounded out the Crimson’s victory, contributing a four-game win of his own at the No. 7 spot.

“It’s a great confidence booster,” Hopcroft said. “We need to keep working hard and moving forward. We can enjoy [the win] for the moment, but we need to make sure we don’t dwell on the past.”

—Staff writer Catherine E. Coppinger can be reached at ccoppinger@college.harvard.edu.