Trinity Defeats Yale, Keeps Streak Alive
NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The Yale Bulldogs fell to the undefeated Trinity Bantams 8-1 on Wednesday night at the Brady Squash Center.
Yale (8-1, 3-0 Ivy) suffered its first defeat of the season as the Bantams (8-0) extended their record-shattering winning streak to 211 consecutive matches.
The Bulldogs' sole victory came at the No. 9 position, where sophomore Robert Berner swept Trinity's Reinhold Hergeth 13-11, 11-4, 12-10 despite an arm injury midway through the third game. The win gave Yale an early 1-0 lead, but the Bantams would win all eight of the remaining matches on the evening.
At the No. 6 position, freshman Richard Dodd won the first two games, both 11-9, before dropping three straight games to Trinity's Antonio Diaz. Senior Todd Ruth (No. 2) and junior Naishadh Lalwani (No. 7) were the only other Elis to hold a lead, with each winning his first game before eventually falling 3-1.
Despite the lopsided outcome, the on-court performance was fairly even. As head coach Dave Talbott noted, "We were right there [even though] the overall score won't show it." Coach Talbott was proud of his team's performance, adding that he felt "every match was hard-fought."
The Brady Squash Center was filled with several hundred fans for the men's and women's matches, providing a thrilling atmosphere for a sport that does not regularly garner mainstream attention. Coach Talbott appreciated the crowd's support, saying, "If you've never seen a college squash match, it doesn't get better than this," and adding, "You never see a professional squash match with a crowd like this."
The Bulldogs will return to action on Saturday with a road match against Navy (19-5). The Midshipmen's outsized schedule has included match-ups with three Ivy League foes, all of which have resulted in losses.
When the updated CSA poll is released tomorrow, Yale should be No. 2 in the country. The Bulldogs are hoping for a shot at revenge against the Bantams at the Team Championships, which this season will take place at the Brady Squash Center. If the teams meet again, the Bulldogs believe that they are capable of checking the most prolific dynasty in college sports history. As coach Talbott noted, "The streak has to end sometime, and I think we've got a good enough team to end it."
| Yale University | Trinity College | Winner's Score | Winner | |
| 1S | Chan,Kenneth | Chaudhry,Baset | 11-2,12-10,11-5 | Trinity College |
| 2S | Ruth,Todd | Sharma,Parth | 9-11,11-6,11-1,11-8 | Trinity College |
| 3S | Robinson,Hywel | Singh,Supreet | 11-5,11-7,9-11,11-8 | Trinity College |
| 4S | Fuchs,Aaron | Malhotra,Vikram | 11-2,11-9,11-9 | Trinity College |
| 5S | Roberts,John | Lim,Randy | 11-8,5-11,11-7,11-9 | Trinity College |
| 6S | Dodd,Richard | Diaz Glez,Antonio | 9-11,9-11,13-11,11-5,11-6 | Trinity College |
| 7S | Lalwani,Naishadh | Binnie,Christopher | 11-13,11-5,11-9,11-8 | Trinity College |
| 8S | Dowd,Ryan | Vargas,Andres | 11-5,11-6,11-7 | Trinity College |
| 9S | Berner,Robert | Hergeth,Reinhold | 13-11,11-4,12-10 | Yale University |
| 10S | Plimpton,Christopher | Not on roster | 18-16,13-11,8-11,12-10 | Trinity College |
report filed by Alex Milvae '12, Yale Sports Publicity
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