Box Score

For the second time this season, the University of Rochester squash team took down the #1 team in the country, winning 5-4 over Trinity College (CT) on Saturday at the Lyman Squash Center.
 
5th ranked Rochester (7-4) previously defeated #1 Harvard by a 5-4 score on December 7th.  This is UR's first ever win over perennial powerhouse Trinity in squash, the Bantams drop their first match of the season, going to 11-1.  Trinity has won 14 national titles in men's squash.
 

UR Sophomore Mario Yanez Tapia clinched the victory, rallying from 2-1 down for a five-game win at the #1 position over Trinity's Vrishab Kotian.  Yanez won 9-11, 11-7, 9-11, 11-3 and 11-4.  Kotian showed his toughness throughout the match, succumbing to an ankle injury late in the 2nd game, but came back to win the third, putting his team in position to take the match.
 
The 4-4 match was set up by a 3-1 victory at position #4 from Rochester freshman Tomotaka Endo.  Endo topped Karan Malik, Trinity's highest ranked individual player (#13) by a 17-15, 11-8, 7-11, 11-9 score.
 
After Ryosei Kobayashi dispatched Miled Zarazua 11-8, 11-8, 11-5 at #2, Rochester was up 3-1, recording the most points scored against Trinity this season (previous high was two).  But the top-ranked Bantams showed what they had, rattling off three straight wins at #5, #8 and #7 to grab a 4-3 lead.  Trinity's wins in that stretch came from Rick Penders, Affeeq Ismail and James Evans.
 
The home Yellowjackets were able to jump out to a quick start in the match, winning points at #3 and #6 from junior Neil Cordell and freshman Michelangelo Bertocchi.  Cordell won when his opponent, Juan Vargas, had to retire when he twisted his ankle on the game ball in the first.  Bertocchi was a 3-0 winner over Moustafa Hamada, 11-7, 11-8, 11-5.  Trinity's Omar Allaudin would then cut the UR lead in half, with a 3-0 win over Ben Pitfield at #9.
 
Rochester returns to the court on Sunday at 12 pm when it plays host to #12 ranked Drexel.  Trinity looks to get back to its winning ways when they travel to Ithaca for a showdown with Cornell tomorrow.