No. 2 Yale Defeats No. 3 Rochester 5-4, Advances To National Championship
NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The No. 2 Yale men's squash team bested No. 3 Rochester 5-4 on Saturday at the Brady Squash Center to advance to Sunday's CSA Team Championship final.
The match, played in the typical three-shift format, was compelling throughout. After the first shift, Yale led 2-1, buoyed by early victories from No. 9 Christopher Plimpton and No. 3 Aaron Fuchs. Rochester's Matt Domenick topped Bulldog Naishadh Lalwani 3-1 to earn the Yellowjackets' first victory of the day.
The results reversed themselves in the second shift, with Rochester winning two of the three matches. Yale's Robert Berner earned the Bulldogs' third victory of the day with a 3-0 victory at the No. 8 position. At the No. 5 position, Rochester's William Newnham topped John Roberts in a back-and-forth five-game match. The Yellowjackets evened the match at 3-all after Jim Bristow's four-game victory over Todd Ruth at the No. 2 position.
With the match tied at 3 wins apiece, Saturday's second national semifinal came down to a best-of-three contest. No. 7 Richard Dodd gave Yale the 4-3 lead with a 3-0 sweep of Rochester's Joe Chapman. The Bulldogs needed only one victory to clinch a spot in the championship match, and freshman Hywel Robinson provided. Playing at the No. 4 position, Robinson rallied after dropping the first game to earn a 3-1 victory and seal the deal for the Elis. Rochester's Benjamin Fischer was able to grind out a five-game win over Kenneth Chan at the No. 1 position, but it was not enough to keep the Yellowjacket's championship hopes alive.
The Bulldogs will play for the national title tomorrow at 3 p.m. against No. 1 Trinity. Trinity defeated No. 4 Princeton 7-2 in Saturday's first semifinal. Earlier this season, Trinity topped the Bulldogs 8-1 at the Brady Squash Center. If the Bulldogs are able to turn the table in a few of those close matches, they have the talent and skill to prevent the Bantams from winning their 12th consecutive Potter Cup.
| Rochester | Yale University | Winner's Score | Winner | |
| 1S | Fischer,Benjamin | Chan,Kenneth | 10-12,11-9,5-11,11-9,14-12 | Rochester |
| 2S | Bristow,Jim | Ruth,Todd | 7-11,11-2,11-3,11-8 | Rochester |
| 3S | Ahmed,Hameed | Fuchs,Aaron | 11-8,11-9,10-12,11-8 | Yale University |
| 4S | Duany,Andres | Robinson,Hywel | 9-11,11-9,11-6,11-5 | Yale University |
| 5S | Newnham,William | Roberts,John | 7-11,11-5,11-8,9-11,11-9 | Rochester |
| 6S | Domenick,Matt | Lalwani,Naishadh | 11-8,11-7,3-11,11-6 | Rochester |
| 7S | Chapman,Joe | Dodd,Richard | 11-7,11-5,11-5 | Yale University |
| 8S | Not on roster | Berner,Robert | 11-5,11-5,11-8 | Yale University |
| 9S | Gaviria,Juan Pablo | Plimpton,Christopher | 9-11,11-9,11-2,12-10 | Yale University |
report filed by Alex Milvae '12, Yale Sports Publicity