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Fifth-Ranked Rochester Fights Off Upset Attempt, Defeats Princeton 8-1
December 06, 2014 | Men's Squash
The 11th-ranked Princeton men's squash team battled hard in the first half of its Empire State tour against two top-ranked squads, but the Tigers were unable to get the Saturday upset against fifth-ranked Rochester. The Yellowjackets used an opening-shift sweep to clear the way to an 8-1 win.
Princeton showed plenty of early fight, including a battle from senior David Hoffman at the No. 3 spot against former individual quarterfinalist Neil Cordell. Hoffman pushed Cordell to extra points, but Cordell pulled out a 13-11 win and used the momentum to win in three games.
Both Michael LeBlanc (No. 6) and Komron Shayegan (No. 9) pushed their respective opponents to four games, but neither could pull out the win. LeBlanc made William Mohr work for every point, but he ultimately fell 12-10 in the fourth.
Princeton sophomore Ben Leizman was determined to keep Princeton's upset hopes alive. After splitting two tight games at the No. 8 spot, Leizman took control for wins of 11-5 and 11-7 for the Tigers' lone win of the match.
Unfortunately, Rochester's strength at the top of the lineup was too much for Princeton. Reigning first-team All-America Ryosei Kobayashi rallied from a 1-0 hole to knock off Princeton All-America Tyler Osborne at the No. 2 spot, and Michelangelo Bertocchi topped Sam Ezratty in three games at No. 5.
The final shift featured the closest match of the day, as Aria Fazelimanesh rallied from deficits of 1-0 and 2-1 to hand Princeton freshman Abhimanyu Shah his first collegiate loss in five close games. The Yellowjackets also got wins at No. 1 and No. 4 to close out the match.
The road trip doesn't get any easier for the Tigers, who head to St. Lawrence for an 11 am showdown against the second-ranked Saints. Princeton is likely the final obstacle to the No. 1 ranking for St. Lawrence, which defeated top-ranked Harvard 7-2 in Canton Saturday afternoon.
Rochester 8, Princeton 1
1. Mario Yanez Tapia (ROC) def. Samuel Kang 11-2, 11-5, 13-11
2. Ryosei Kobayashi (ROC) def. Tyler Osborne 6-11, 11-5, 11-5, 11-4
3. Neil Cordell (ROC) def. David Hoffman 13-11, 11-2, 11-2
4. Tomotaka Endo (ROC) def. Taylor Tutrone 11-5, 8-11, 11-3, 11-2
5. Michelangelo Bertocchi (ROC) def. Sam Ezratty 11-6, 11-5, 11-3
6. William Mohr (ROC) def. Michael LeBlanc 11-8, 7-11, 11-2, 12-10
7. Aria Fazelimanesh (ROC) def. Abhimanyu Shah 5-11, 11-3, 9-11, 11-9, 11-6
8. Ben Leizman (PRIN) def. Meng Xiaomen 11-8, 11-13, 11-5, 11-7
9. Ben Pitfield (ROC) def. Komron Shayegan 11-9, 5-11, 11-4, 11-4
Exh. C. Riedelsheimer (ROC) def. Kevin Bradicich (PRIN) 11-6, 11-4, 11-3