Princeton Picks Up Biggest Win Since 2013, Goes On The Road To Knock Off #4 St. Lawrence 6-3

Saturday, December 1

Canton, N.Y.

12:00 PM

Princeton University

St. Lawrence

Princeton University men's squash vs. George Washington University, Princeton, NJ, November 18, 2018.

Photo by: Beverly Schaefer

Princeton Picks Up Biggest Win Since 2013, Goes On The Road To Knock Off #4 St. Lawrence 6-3

December 01, 2018 | Men's Squash

As far as statement wins go, this one should send quite a message.

The 13th-ranked Princeton men's squash team, which went toe-to-toe with top-ranked Trinity before Thanksgiving, posted its biggest win in more than five and a half years Saturday in Canton, N.Y. The Tigers won each shift 2-1 to hand the fourth-ranked St. Lawrence Saints a 6-3 loss to open its toughest road trip of the season; Princeton will look to complete a dream weekend Sunday at noon when it takes on #5 Rochester.

"This match showed tremendous maturity," head coach Sean Wilkinson said. "We knew the opportunity was there. I told the guys it doesn't knock twice, so we have to take advantage now. They did a tremendous job. The UVA match was a wake-up call, and since then, we've been right there with the best teams. It shows tremendous character and growth."

Depth was the key for Princeton Saturday, as the Tigers won every match between 4-9 to claim the 6-3 victory. Junior Henry Parkhurst didn't waste any time getting Princeton on the board, as he dropped only three total points in his 3-0 win at the #9 spot. Classmate and tri-captain Gabriel Morgan posted a pair of hard-fought 13-11 and 12-10 wins en route to a 3-0 win at #6, while freshman Daelum Mawji showed plenty of his potential in a tough 3-1 loss at the #3 spot.

Sophomore Duncan Joyce kept momentum on Princeton's side by dropping only 12 points in a win at #8. Junior Adhitya Raghavan pushed St. Lawrence veteran Karim Ibrahim at the #2 spot, but he couldn't get over the top. That left sophomore Alex Engstrom in a critical spot, as he played a long match at #5 while Princeton freshman Howe Cheng was taking control at the #7 spot. Engstrom dropped a tight first, but he answered the call in extra points for a 14-12 win in the second game. He wouldn't be denied from there, winning 11-9 and 11-8. That win, combined with another dominant performance by Cheng, gave Princeton its first top-5 win since Jan. 11, 2013, when Princeton defeated #3 Harvard 5-4 in Jadwin.

"The kid Alex played was super talented," Wilkinson said. "Alex has come so far; he played 9 for us last year, and now he's winning matches at 5, including against Trinity. It's a testament to how hard he's worked. He's very instinctive, and he knows what he's doing."

Senior Cody Cortes showed impressive fight to punctuate the win in style. Despite the team win secured, he battled back from a 2-0 deficit at #4 to claim wins of 11-8, 11-6 and 11-2 over George Willis.

#13 Princeton 6, #4 St. Lawrence 3
1 - Mohamed El Gawarhy (S) d. Clark Doyle 3, 6, 5
2 - Karim Ibrahim (S) d. Adhitya Raghavan 4, (9), 3, 7
3 - Belal Newar (S) d. Daelum Mawji 4, 7, (9), 4
4 - Cody Cortes (P) d. George Willis (4), (9), 8, 6, 2
5 - Alex Engstrom (P) d. Youssef Fikry (7), 12, 9, 8
6 - Gabriel Morgan (P) d. Kareem Elrayes 11, 10, 6
7 - Howe Cheng (P) d. Aran Thawani 6, 3, 4
8 - Duncan Joyce (P) d. Cameron Warren 5, 2, 5
9 - Henry Parkhurst (P) d. Jack Soper 1, 1, 1