MIDDLEBURY, VT - The Williams men's squash team grinded to a massive 5-4 victory today against Middlebury, a close NESCAC rival and the victor in last year's Williams v. Middlebury match. After coming out of four straight losses, the match will provide the Ephs with a much needed confidence boost going into Tuesday's last home match of the season against Brown.
In the usual 3-court fashion, John Fitzgerald '19, Will Ruggiero '19, and Ben Eisenberg '19 were up first at the 3, 6, and 9 spots respectively. Ben Eisenberg, quickly dispatched his opponent in three games. The next two matches involved massive five gamers, where John Fitzgerald fell at the 3 spot but Will Ruggiero prevailed at #6. This left a 2-1 lead for the Ephs and a good start.
Next on court were Will Means '20, Carl Shuck '20, and Claude Smith '20 at the 2, 5, and 8 spots. With the sophomores posting a 2-1 lead, the first years looked to extend the winning position. Unfortunately, Smith fell at the 8 position in 4 games. Shortly after, Means fell in 3 games to a senior captain. Carl Shuck, the last to finish in the second round, drew the score at 3-3 with a 4- game victory at the 5 spot, extending his match winning streak to four.
Heading into the final round, the Ephs needed two victories to seal a win. Senior captains Jamie Ruggiero and John Shuck led at the 1 and 4 spots with Mason Elizondo '18 at the 7 spot. With Mason falling at the 7 spot in 4 games, the Panthers led 4-3. Jamie Ruggiero fought hard at the 1 spot, and even with a persistent ankle injury, managed to win in 4 games. The score was now 4-4 and came down to captain John Shuck. Playing a freshman, Shuck knew he had the mental edge, and was able to pull through in 4 games to seal the 5 matches needed for victory.
Eph head coach Zafi Levy said of the match, "I knew that if our captains won today we would win the match. I have been saying that for over a decade. We have lost some unfortunate matches in the last couple weeks but this is a huge turning point for us. We still left many points on the table today and with Middlebury missing their #2 player, we cannot take this match for granted. But for now, I am excited to celebrate this win with the boys and am looking forward to playing better on Tuesday against Brown."
Both the men and women will play Brown Tuesday afternoon at home at 4pm in their last home match of the season.
