PHILADELPHIA - For the second consecutive season, the University of Pennsylvania men's squash team (3-0) has started the season with three wins and no losses. The Quakers won their home opener at the Kline and Specter Squash Center on Saturday, taking down George Washington, 9-0.
How it Happened
The first four of
Wil Hagen,
James Flynn,
David Yacobucci, and
Michael Mehl gave the Quakers a fast start out the gates. Hagen got on the board first winning his opening set, 11-6, and from there the dominos began to fall. Flynn was next winning his first game 11-4, then Mehl, 11-6, and finally Yacobucci, 11-7. The four players would go on to sweep their matches, 3-0.
Yacobucci fought off game points at 10-7 on his way to taking the last five on his way to a 12-10 third game victory. Mehl also fought through a tough 12-10 second game in his win.
Up 4-0 headed into the second shift of matches, the Quakers would need just one match to clinch their third straight win.
Jonathan Zeitels would do just that as he swept at number nine, 11-3,11-6,11-6.
All of Penn's matches from there on out were pretty straight-forward, but freshman
Aly Abou Eleinen found himself in a battle at number three. The freshman lost a close opener, 13-11, but bounced back to take the second to tie the match at one game apiece. The two players would split the next two games forcing a fifth and deciding game. It would be the second straight day that the final match on court would be decided in a fifth.
Eleinen took the early lead, 5-1, but George Washington's Mohammad Al-Terki climbed back to take the lead. The Penn freshman faced match point at 9-10, but fought it off and took the final three points to win the game 12-10, and the match, 3-2.
What's Next
The Quakers are back in action on Sunday at 3 p.m. as they host No. 13 Virginia at the Kline and Specter Squash Center at Drexel.
Results
1.
Andrew Douglas (PENN) d. Mahmoud Abdel-Maksoud (GW) - 11-8,11-9,11-9
2.
David Yacobucci (PENN) d. Salim Khan (GW) - 11-7,11-5,12-10
3. Aly Abou Eleinen (PENN) d. Mohammad Al-Terki (GW) - 11-13,11-4,11-8,9-11,12-10
4.
Michael Mehl (PENN) d. Jamie Oakley (GW) - 11-6,12-10,11-9
5.
Karim Hussein (PENN) d. Inaki DeLaurrari (GW) - 12-10,11-8,11-8
6.
James Flynn (PENN) d. Julian Jervis (GW) - 11-4,11-9,11-6
7.
Yash Bhargava (PENN) d. Juan Laguna (GW) - 13-11,11-9,11-8
8.
Wil Hagen (PENN) d. Lucas Stauffer (GW) - 11-6,11-8,11-4
9.
Jonathan Zeitels (PENN) d. Abbas Saeed (GW) - 11-3,11-6,11-6
