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[College Results]

Trinity Men Too Tough for Princeton Tigers
By SquashTalk staff © 2003 SquashTalk Feb 17, 2003 © 2003  
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Princeton's El Halaby (l) cut it too close, losing on unforced errors in straight games to Bernardo Samper (photo © 2003 Ron Beck)

Uniformly running on all cylindars, the 2003-03 Trinity Bantams completed an undefeated season, decisively trouncing the previously undefeated senior-laden
Princeton squad, eight matches to one.

The disappointed Princeton squad were left answerless after squandering their best opportunity in years to unseat Trinity. Trinity had graduated the core of its squad that had won four straight college titles, while Princeton had a highly experienced squad, bolstered by their new star Yasser El Halaby.

The Trinity Bantams, though, completed their fifth consecutive undefeated season at Princeton's expense, emphatically avenged the 4-1 loss Princeton had pinned on them on the same Trinity courts last December in the final round of the USSRA Five-Man Team Championships and annexed their sixth straight CSA "Regular-season" title.

The empty-handed Tigers, who last week clinched their second straight Ivy
League crown and third in the past four years, still have one remaining
opportunity against their nemesis should the two teams meet in next weekend's
final round of the Arthur Potter Trophy competition, the nine-man team postseason tournament, which will be hosted at Princeton's home Jadwin Gymnasium courts, during Princeton's Alumni weekend.

As the match began, each contest started off evenly, prompting Trinity Coach Paul Assaiante to say, "Princeton is really here to play. You can see it in their eyes and how they carry themselves." Princeton may, however, have been a bit too keyed up for the match that they knew was within their grasp. The initial Princeton surge little by little ebbed away. And the momentum quickly shifted towards the Trinity Bantams.

Unlike last year's Trinity-Princeton showdown at Jadwin, also between undefeated squads vying for the CSA title, in which each one of the Princeton players in the "evens" shift (Nos. 2, 4, 6 and 8) won his first game and thus generated initial though temporary hopes of an upset, this time the Bantams were able to equalize the Tigers' energy level quickly and take immediate leads.

In particular, Princeton's #4 Danny Rutherford, who represented a key and essential point, was unable to mount a serious challenge against the flawless play of Swiss freshman Yvan Badan. Trinity's Badan who at times has shown inconsistency this year, showed none of that today, cashing in an abrupt 9-0, 0 and 7 win. Rutherford at his best takes the ball early and often, constantly creating pressure on the opposition. He wasn't able to get those tactics moving against Badan's smooth play. News of that loss rapidly spread among the Princeton troops and seemed to take energy from the remaining contestants.

Princeton's Aaron Zimmerman, who has the potential to raise his game to the level of Trinity's Nadeem Osman, didn't come near doing so today. Osman took a relatively easy three game decision. Trinity's sole American, Pat Malloy, had the advantage of experience over Princeton's Nate Beck, and while Beck played Malloy on the most part evenly, Malloy used his experience to ride several quick streaks to straight game scores that belied the heat of the competition.

Princeton was clearly dealing with the full force of a fully constituted Trinity line-up almost all of whose members were playing at the top of their games and galvanized by a determination to banish the memory of that defeat that they had been forced
to chew on for the past 11 weeks. In support of the Bantams were well over 500 fans, including the entire Trinty Lacrosse Team. Also on hand were USA women's junior squash squads, Natalie Pohrer, and a host of other fans, signalling this contest as an apex of the USA squash season.

When New Zealand native and Princeton #2 Will Evans offered up a masterful triumph at No. 2 over Trinity junior Michael Ferreira (which duplicated the outcome of their semi-final in last season's Individuals event ), decreasing the edge Trinity held at the break to three matches to one, Princeton partisans still thought they could come up with ways to count a victory - wins by David Yik, December's 5-man-team star Eric Pearson and Yasser El Halaby would have brought the match to 4-4.

This time, however, Eric Pearson was overwhelmed by Reggie Schonborn, as was
Tiger sophomore Dent Wilkins by stalwart John Smith.

This put all the momentum and energy on Trinity's side. "We were just simply unconscious out there," said Assaiante, expressing relief at the result and a recognition that it could have been much different.

Princeton #3 David Yik followed teammate Rutherford onto court 2, facing Trinity's Nick Kyme. Ordinarily, Yik would be heavily favored. But Kyme was in the zone today, while Yik seemed a half a step slow. Though Yik demonstrated his uncanny touch and use of the court, he was facing a charged up and errorless Kyme, who at critical junctures forced subtle miscues from Yik that gave Kyme an important win that put a final nail in Princeton's hopes.

So when Princeton's Yasser El-Halaby came out against Bernardo Samper, in front of a packed gallery, the momentum was just too much against him. Samper started fast, with El-Halaby, as has been his pattern, making early unforced errors.

El-Halaby rallied, unconcerned, but too late to take the first game. El Halaby, though came out red hot in the second game, and held the total initiative, moving to an electric 7-0 lead amidst a virtuoso demonstration by both players.

At that point the momentum, the visiting venue, the packed crowd all seemingly took their toll. Inexplicably, El-Halaby as quickly as he had brilliantly taken the initiative, ran off a string of unforced errors. From that 7-0 lead in the second game, he would only reclaim the serve twice, and scored no more points.

With Trinity's #9 Carl Baglio recovering in the fifth game to put away a stubborn but erratic Rob Siverd, who had extended their match to a fifth game only to lose 9-0 in the fifth, Trinity had the decisive win.

In front of their home crowd, their College President, and parents and friends, the Trinity Nine retained their National Crown. In the JV match, Trinity also defeated Princeton 9-0.

Now both teams regroup for the National Team Championships at Princeton. This time at Princeton's home courts, Princeton will try to solve the intangiable difference in focus and emotion that created the win for Trinity on a February Saturday in Hartford Connecticut.

MEET RECAP

1. Bernardo Samper (T) d Yasser El-Halaby (P), 9-4, 7 and 0
2. Will Evans (P) d Michael Ferreira (T), 7-9 9-7 9-3 9-1
3. Nick Kyme (T) d David Yik (P), 9-6 3-9 9-0 9-5
4. Yvain Badan (T) d Dan Rutherford (P), 9-0, 0 and 7
5. Reggie Schonborn (T) d Eric Pearson (P), 9-4, 1 and 2
6. Nadeem Osman (T) d Aaron Zimmerman (P), 9-4, 6 and 5
7. John Smith (T) d Dent Wilkins (P), 9-2, 5 and 4
8. Pat Malloy(T) d Nate Beck (P), 9-3, 3 and 4
9. Carl Baglio (T) d Rob Siverd (P), 7-9 9-3 9-0 6-9 9-0

[National Teams Draw]

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