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Princeton University Athletics
Coach's Notes On Harvard Match
February 11, 2001 | Men's Squash
Feb. 11, 2001
Today's Harvard match was one of the great sporting events I have ever seen or been a part of! Four hours after it started, it came down to 4-4 in matches, 2-2 in games in the deciding match, and 15-15 in points. The Ivy League Championship came down to best two out of three points! Hundreds of people stood and screamed around court #2 as Danny Rutherford from Princeton and Shondip Ghosh from Harvard labored under the pressure of the situation and the weariness of their legs. It was great drama, great sport, and I couldn't be prouder of the whole team.
The match started with introductions at 3 PM in front of a huge crowd, filled to capacity with alumni, family and friends. In preparing for the match, I knew we had to be tied at least 2-2 in matches after the first shift to have a chance to win.
After the first shift, it was 2-2! David Yik played beautifully at #2 and beat a very tough Peter Karlen 3-1, Marshall Sebring lost a close hard fought match at #6, Will Osnato showed why he is such a tough competitor at # 8 winning 3-1, and Peter Kelly fought down to the end before losing 3-2, 15-12 in the fifth at #4. Each team had to win three of the remaining five matches to win the Ivy League title. Eric Pearson at #5 came out attacking every ball and put Dylan Patterson away in three games. Princeton up 3-2 in matches! Harrison Gabel at #9, who has been called on over and over again to work miracles for us, ran out of them today and lost 3-0 at #9. Will Evans, at #1 was up 2-0 against Deepak Abraham but behind in the third. After a monumental effort, he came back to win 15-14 in the third game, calling set 1 at 14-14!
Four-three Princeton! One more! Randolph McEvoy at #7 was playing very well against a very tough Harvard player, Gray Witcher, but lost in overtime 17-15 in the fourth game. Four-four in matches!
Danny Rutherford and Shondip are in a war at #4 reaching 2-2 in games. Danny falls behind 10-5 and 12-8 in the fifth game before making his run. After ten points of superb squash, every point decided by a winner, it reaches 15-15 in the fifth! Every point goes on forever with tight rail after tight rail. Finally, after what seems like eternity, Shondip from Harvard mis-hits a drive off the back wall that falls for a winner. 16-15 Harvard in the fifth. The tension and excitement is almost too much to take! After a let and another interminable rally, Danny is caught in the front court retrieving a drop, he sprints to the back, flipping the ball up into the back wall, it floats toward the front and falls just short hitting the tin. Unbelievable! A great sporting event! Harvard wins 5-4 in matches and 17-15 in the fifth game of the last match. The crowd, the players, everyone is emotionally exhausted!
As we met in my office after the match, I told the team I couldn't be more proud of the way they competed. It was one of the most exciting squash matches in collegiate squash history. We still have two more big weekend's of squash left with Trinity next Saturday in Hartford, followed by Williams and Amherst on Sunday. The following weekend, February 23-25, we will compete in the Team Championships at Yale. We were two points away from successfully defending our Ivy League Championship! This team is too gutsy to end its run here. We are going for the title in two weeks, so strap on your seat belts, there is more excitement ahead!