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Princeton University
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Men's Squash Fights Off Drexel For Crucial 6-3 Home Victory
December 04, 2014 | Men's Squash
Example 1 of that energy came in the fifth game of his Wednesday night match against Drexel, when Princeton was one victory away from moving back above the .500 mark. Hoffman, playing at the No. 4 spot, had rallied from 2-1 down to force a fifth game against Ibrahim Bakir, and he was looking to keep Princeton unbeaten at the Jadwin Courts this season.
Ten energy-packed points later, Hoffman had full control and could see the finish line. The senior tri-captain fought off a late rally to win 11-5 and clinch a 6-3 victory to open a Wednesday night doubleheader against Drexel. Fellow tri-captain Samuel Kang won his match at No. 1 moments later to finish off the team win, which will provide some much-needed positive energy heading into a brutal road trip through the Empire State.
“I'm very proud of the way we played against a very dangerous Drexel team,” said head coach Sean Wilkinson, who came to Princeton after serving as the assistant at Drexel. “Even the matches we lost were hard-fought. We can get better at closing out games and matches and grow from tonight, but it was critical to get this victory, and the guys were deserving of this result.”
Princeton improved to 2-1 on the season, thanks in large part to a strong performance from the opening shift. Both junior Michael LeBlanc (No. 6) and sophomore Ben Leizman (No. 8) posted 3-0 wins to get an early edge, and senior All-America Tyler Osborne clinched the early advantage with a 3-0 win at the No. 2 position.
Drexel got to within 3-2, but Princeton freshman Abhimanyu Shah got the Tigers to within one match away with a 3-0 victory at the No. 7 spot. Shah remained perfect on the season with a hard-fought sweep of Joey Gingold, setting the table for Hoffman's clinching win.
Princeton will head to New York this weekend to face both No. 5 Rochester (Saturday, 12) and No. 2 St. Lawrence (Sunday, 11).
Princeton 6, Drexel 3
1 – Samuel Kang (P) d. Atticus Kelly 3-1
2 – Tyler Osborne (P) d. Luke Willemse 3-0
3 – David Hoffman (P) d. Ibrahim Bakir 3-2
4 – Michael Thompson (D) d. Taylor Tutrone 3-2
5 – Mark Kauf (D) d. Sam Ezratty 3-2
6 – Michael LeBlanc (P) d. Cillian Dunne 3-0
7 – Abhimanyu Shah (P) d. Joey Gingold 3-0
8 – Ben Leizman (P) d. Nat Fry 3-0
9 – Sebastian Dangood (D) d. Komron Shayegan 3-0