WILLIAMSTOWN-- The Williams Mens' Squash team fell 9-0 at the hands of the Big Red on Sunday, but simply reporting the score would do the Ephs' effort a great disservice.
Playing some of the top competition in the nation and their third match of the weekend, Williams played with heart and detirmination, forcing Cornell to earn every match.
Freshmen standout Kevin Chen was the first to put a chink in the Cornell armour, playing at number three. Chen took the first game against Arjun Gupta 11-7 and the two battled for the remaining three. Chen would eventually lose in four.
Trailing 2-0, another freshmen found energy and inspiration for a comeback at number nine. Nick Greaves-Tunnell battled to win the third and fourth games 11-7, 11-8 to send the match to a fifth game, where he would eventually fall.
Nick Marks and Andy Maruca also fought admirably. Marks lost his first two games before regaining some strength and winning the third 12-10, and then losing a nailbiter fourth game 11-9. Maruca also found himself down 2-0, but won the third 11-7 before falling in the fourth.
Taylor Foehl played the longest match of the day at the number four position. Foehl was beaten solidly in the first game, but rebounded to win the second and third marathon games 13-11 and 15-13, respectively. He came out on the wrong side of the final two closely contested games, though, losing in a grueling five.
"I don't think I've ever been more pleased with a 9-0 loss. Everybody showed a lot of heart, fitness, and skill. Kevin [Chen] played phenomenally at number three, and has shown this weekend he is going to be very good near the top of our lineup for the next four years. I thought Taylor [Foehl] also played fantastically, certainly well enough to win. I'm really encouraged and looking forward to some big matches after Thanksgiving," said an exuberant head coach Zafi Levy after the match.
Williams will next take a very talented United States Naval Academy squad at home on December 3 as their lone home match before the Christmas break. That match is scheduled for noon.
Individual Results:
1. Nicholas Sachvie (C) def Will Morris (W) 2, 5, 9
2. Aditiya Jagtap (C) def Nick Marcks (W) 5, 8, (10), 9
3. Arjun Gupta (C) def Kevin Chen (W) (7), 8, 8, 6
4. David Hilton (C) def Taylor Foehl (W) 4, (11), (13), 7, 8
5. William Hartigan (C) def Andy Maruca (W) 9, 6, (7), 1
6. Owen Butler (C) def Alec Greaves-Tunnell (W) 8, 7, 5
7. Bryan Keating (C) def Chris Wilkinson (W) 7, 2, 8
8. Rishi Jalan (C) def Aaron Seong (W) 5, 3, 5
9. Chris Stinson (C) def Nick Greaves-Tunnell (W) 4, 6, (8), (7), 7
