Men's Squash Stays Perfect In Ivies, Picks Up First Win Over Yale Since 2013

The seventh-ranked Princeton men's squash team picked up its biggest win of the season to this point, as well as its first over Yale since 2013. A perfect opening shift laid the foundation for an 8-1 victory over the Bulldogs to keep the Tigers perfect in the Ivy League. Princeton improved to 7-1 with the win, 2-0 in the Ivy League, and fortified all of the positive momentum it had already developed during the season.

Freshman Youssef Ibrahim got Princeton on the board with a 3-0 win at the #1 spot, though one of his classmates would soon steal the thunder from the opening shift. Sophomore Gabriel Morgan, who battled back from injuries in time to build on Princeton's strong lineup, grabbed a 2-0 lead at the #7 spot and eventually won in four when his opponent suffered an injury. Junior Clark Doyle continued his brilliant season with a 3-1 win at No. 4, which opened a 3-0 lead for the Tigers, who expected a long, tough afternoon on their hands.

The difference between a 4-0 lead and a 3-1 lead is a significant one, and freshman Duncan Joyce showed incredible poise in securing the former. He won a pair of tight games, dropped another in extra points, and ultimately found himself in a thriller with Thomas Kingshott at the #6 spot. Joyce grabbed match ball, then hit a shot into the deep backhand corner that Kingshott couldn't return to set up a roar from a loud, intense Princeton crowd.

A thriller! Duncan Joyce wins 11-9 in the fifth to claim a 3-2 win. Tigers currently lead Yale 4-0 ... watch the finish live on the @IvyLeagueNet! pic.twitter.com/cfUZmB7g67
— Princeton MSQUASH (@princetonmsq) January 14, 2018

Sophomore Adhitya Raghavan was not going to let the team match get away. The returning All-America took the main court and clinched the match with a dominant effort at the #2 spot, including an 11-1 closer in the third game. His teammates remained hungry, especially since none had ever experienced a team win over Yale. Senior co-captain Abhimanyu Shah, whose consistent work and dedication over four years has helped turn the program around, won a 3-0 match at #8, while freshman Alex Engstrom used 13-11 and 11-9 wins to take his match at #9. Junior Cody Cortes ran his Ivy League win streak to nine with a 3-1 win at #5, while freshman Cole Becker put forth a strong showing at #3 before falling to Yale's Harrison Gill.

Princeton will now break for finals, but a motivated Tiger squad will certainly have its focus on the next Ivy match, a Jan. 31 showdown in Philadelphia against fifth-ranked Penn. The Quakers are also 2-0 in the Ivy League, a start that included a 5-4 thriller over Yale Saturday.

PRINCETON 8, YALE 1
1 – Youssef Ibrahim (P) d. Spencer Lovejoy 8, 9, 7
2 – Adhitya Raghavan (P) d. Max Martin 8, 5, 1
3 – Harrison Gill (Y) d. Cole Becker 10, 7, 6
4 – Clark Doyle (P) d. Arjun Kochhar 9, (6), 6, 3
5 – Cody Cortes (P) d. Pierson Broadwater 8, 6, (12), 8
6 – Duncan Joyce (P) d. Thomas Kingshott 7, (10), 8, (4), 9
7 – Gabriel Morgan (P) d. Calvin McCafferty 9, 9, (2), 6-8 retired
8 – Abhimanyu Shah (P) d. Tyler Carney 5, 10, 6
9 – Alex Engstrom (P) Yohan Pandole 4, 11, (3), 9

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