Men's squash falls to close rival Navy 7-2

ANNAPOLIS, MD - The men's squash team fell today against their close rivals, the Navy Midshipmen, in their third loss of their Mid-Atlantic weekend roadtrip. Their previous two losses were against the Franklin and Marshall Diplomats and the George Washington Colonials on Friday and Saturday. The Ephs played hard but ultimately could not overcome the strength that the Navy players produced on their home courts today.

In the first round of matches, Claude Smith '20, Will Means '20 came on first at the 6 and 3 spots, respectively, looking to score their first wins of the weekend. Unfortunately, both freshman were unable to overcome their seasoned Navy opponents. Andrew Litvin '18 also lost to his opponent, putting the Ephs at a tough 0-3 position going into the second round of matches.

Coming on court next were Mason Elizondo '18, Carl Shuck '20, and John Fitzgerald '19 at the 8, 5, and 2 spots, respectively. Carl Shuck came into the match 2-0 from the previous two matches, looking to score his third victory, and Mason Elizondo came in 1-1. Both Carl Shuck and Mason were able to score victories against their Midshipmen opponents, posting the only winning records for the weekend. John Fitzgerald fell to his former Brunswick teammate in four games.

Coming into the last round 2-4, the Ephs needed victories at every position in hopes to score a 5-4 win. Seniors Jamie Ruggiero and John Shuck played at the 1 and 4 spots, and sophomore Will Ruggiero came in at the 7 spot in the last round of matches. The last round was long, but unfortunately the Ephs fell at every position, posting a final match result of 2-7.

Coach Zafi Levy said of the match, "It is tough to see the boys lose all three of their matches this weekend especially against our close rival Navy. We are a young team and the upside is this weekend will definitely provide some experience for our younger players who posted straight losses. We are looking forward to finishing the season strong and will hopefully come to our matches in the coming weeks educated from this weekend. I am proud of the boys but I am looking to improve our ability to stay in and convert matches next week.

 The Ephs will travel to their other close rival, Middlebury, on Jan 20.