By Alexandria Sedlak
The men’s varsity squash team finished up the regular season this past weekend at its home courts. It was an exciting day at the Lombardi squash courts, with the players fighting hard and staying quick on their feet on the court, while also supporting their team members off the court. They split the results, with a 9-0 win over Colgate and a 4-5 loss against New York University. This leaves the team with an overall 10-5 record for the regular season. The women’s club team was also on the courts this weekend, playing some important matches against NYU.
Closing out their first match against Colgate with a 9-0 sweep, the Fordham Rams played consistently and competitively. Many of the matches were completed quickly, with three of the matches won in three games and five won in four games.
The sole match that posed a struggle was at the seventh slot, with Fordham freshman Jimmy Shinnick facing Colgate’s Reed Schultz. This went to five games, with Shinnick winning the first two and Schultz coming back to take the next two. In the end, Shinnick pulled through to win the final game, completing the 9-0 victory over Colgate.
Fordham’s next match against NYU became both mentally and physically intense, with the majority of the matches going to four or five games. Sophomore Alex LaVersa and Junior Paul Monaghan, at the sixth and fifth slots, respectively, scored two wins for the team, both in four games. Shinnick and junior Matthew Crowe both fought hard in their matches but lost to NYU. Crowe’s match went to a full five games, and he lost with a score of 8-11 in the final game.
The next match at the second slot was freshman Peter Yuen against NYU’s Andrew Fu. Yuen played for the win in a four set match. Finally, at the number one slot was Fordham junior Kincade Webster facing NYU’s Max McAfferty. This match went out to five sets, with Webster persisting to win the challenging fifth set, scoring a fourth win for Fordham. Although NYU came out on top this match with a 5-4 win, the Fordham team played some of its best squash, keeping the games fast-paced and competitive throughout and did not, even at the bitter end.
The women’s club team faced NYU at the same time. Although NYU was down a few players due to injury and illness, it was still a tough matchup with close games. Sophomore captain Lauren McGowan played spirited squash but lost with a score of 1-3. Players Catherine Oliver, Olivia Micci-Smith and Laura Madelein Wright each stepped up their games to secure wins for Fordham. In the end, this gave the Fordham women’s club team its first win over NYU.
Overall, this was a huge weekend for Fordham squash. With tight matches and a double header against NYU, the courts were always full of action. The gallery was also filled with many student supporters, parents and families who came to cheer their team on.
At the close of the matches, coach Bryan Patterson said it was “a really good day and one that Fordham squash should be proud of.”
