PHILADELPHIA, Penn. - The Williams College men's squash team will close its season on Saturday morning with a battle against NESCAC rival Tufts University after falling 9-0 to Dartmouth College on Friday at the CSA National Team Championships.
The Ephs battled against their Ivy League foe, with two matches going the full five games and another two going to four, but the #9 ranked Big Green were able to move past #12 Williams in the Potter Cup, which features the top 12 ranked teams in the country.Â
Senior captain Rafay Syed played one of Williams' best matches on the day at #9 on the ladder. After falling behind 2-0 in a pair of close games - 10-12 and 8-11 - Syed battled back in the next two, winning 11-8, 11-8, to force a fifth game. The two players traded points and ultimately the Dartmouth player captured the win with an 8-11 score in the fifth.
At #5, sophomore Will Newton also played five, trading games with his opponent before falling just short in the fifth, 13-11, 7-11, 11-7, 5-11, 5-11. At 7 and 8, Dylan Scott and Ty Green also won games. Himanshu Pannu, back from injury, fought hard at #2, with a pair of 14-12 games going in favor of Dartmouth.
Saturday's loss sets up another opportunity for the Ephs to capture a win against NESCAC rival Tufts, who has gotten the better of Williams so far this season, winning 8-1 in Medford on January 31, and 6-3 in the NESCAC Tournament on February 15. The match, which starts at 10:30am on Saturday, will be for a final ranking of #11 in the country, and bragging rights between the two schools who have played a number of extremely close matches in recent years.
