HARTFORD, Conn. — In a repeat of their regular season meeting, No. 5 Yale came up one match short in a 5-4 loss to No. 4 Columbia on Friday in the first round of the CSA National Championships. 

While the bottom half of the squad performed well for Yale, the top of Columbia's lineup proved too much for the Bulldogs — Yale won at Nos. 6 through 9, but lost in the first through fifth spots. 

The match started off in promising fashion as the Bulldogs took a 2-1 lead from the first wave on the strength of a gritty effort from junior Zachary Leman in the ninth spot. In his first contest back from injury, Leman dropped the first two games, but shook off the rust and delivered three consecutive wins to take the match (9-11, 1-11, 11-9, 11-7, 11-8).

Freshman Pierson Broadwater added a 3-1 win in the second set of matches at No. 8. However, Columbia evened the score with wins at the other two spots, including at No. 5 where freshman Max Martin suffered a 3-2 loss in the closest match of the day. Martin traded wins with Columbia's Mohamed Abdel Maksoud, but came out on the wrong side of a 10-12 score in the fifth and decisive game.

Captain Joseph Roberts gave Yale one more victory in the third wave, but neither freshman Edward Columbia or junior Sam Fenwick could produce a winner as both fell in three games. 

The defeat moves Yale to the consolation bracket, where they will face No. 8 Penn, who lost 8-1 to No. 1 Trinity earlier today. That match will begin at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday.

Report by Evan Brown '16, Yale Sports Publicity