PHILADELPHIA, PA – 20th-ranked University of Rochester men's squash fell to the 17th-ranked Middlebury College Panthers, 5-4, in the College Squash Association's (CSA) Hoehn Cup Consolation Semifinals as part of the CSA Divisional Team Championships on Saturday evening at the Arlen Specter Squash Center.
 
With the win, the Panthers advance to the CSA Hoehn Cup Consolation Final to face No. 19 Franklin & Marshall on Sunday, March 1, at 12:00 p.m., while the Yellowjackets wrap up the season at 6-8 with the loss.
 
In what was a close contest through, Middlebury edged the Yellowjackets, clinching the 5-4 victory in the second-to-last match of the evening.
 
Theo Kogan got things started for the Panthers with a win over Karim Moataz at the No. 6 spot, as Moataz had to retire after dropping the first two games, 11-4, 11-4.
 
The Yellowjackets, though, would respond with a win at the No. 1 spot, as Gilberto Aceves Moreno bounced back from a game-one defeat to top Gabe Feinstein, 8-11, 11-5, 11-6, 11-8, and even up the match at 1-1.
 
Middlebury took the next two points with wins at the No. 7 and No. 5 spots, but Rochester would keep things close with Dhirren Rajarathinam's win at the No. 2 spot.
 
Nico Brown earned an 11-9, 11-7, 9-11, 11-4 win over Van Inman-Benavente at the No. 7 spot to put the Panthers back up a point, while Caleb Boateng swept Arjith Mathew at the No. 5 spot, 13-11, 11-3, 11-2, to give Middlebury a 3-1 lead.
 
Rajarathinman then pulled Rochester back within a point with a sweep of David Zhao at No. 2, 11-8, 11-4, 11-9, while Charlie Clifford eked out an 11-7, 4-11, 11-3, 11-9 win over Preston Wu at No. 8 to put the Panthers up 4-2 headed into the final round of play.
 
Kareem Azzam got the final round started at No. 4, making quick work of Kian Kardestuncer, 11-9, 11-7, 11-2, to pull Rochester back within a point, 4-3.
 
But the Panthers would wrap up the win with a victory at the No. 9 spot, as Naum Lekovic clinched the win for Middlebury with a 15-13, 11-2, 11-9 victory over Victor Xu.
 
Thomas Valderrama and Aditya Kothari then wrapped up the match at the No. 3 spot, with Valderrama prevailing in four, 9-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-9.