No. 4 Virginia Suffers 7-2 Loss to No. 1 Penn

PHILADELPHIA – The No. 4 Virginia men’s squash team (6-1) suffered a 7-2 defeat to No. 1 Penn (5-0) on Sunday afternoon (Nov. 23) at the Penn Squash Center. This was the Cavaliers’ first loss of the season.

Sophomore Juan Jose Torres Lara and junior Dylan Moran picked up the points for the Cavaliers.

Torres Lara recovered from a dropped second game to win 3-1 (11-8, 10-12, 12-10, 11-8) at position two. Moran battled for a gritty five-game match victory (11-7, 10-12, 12-10, 2-11, 11-6) at position four.

FROM HEAD COACH MARK ALLEN

“As is often the case, we have a strong front loaded schedule this season, and have faced three road trips – three long road trips. So, while the teams are disappointed with today’s losses, if anyone had offered me 6-1 (men) and 5-1 (women) to take into Thanksgiving break, I definitely would have taken it and I’m very excited about what lies ahead.

Playing Penn today was a useful yardstick, because we are strong enough now that we measure ourselves against the top few teams in the country. For me, Penn M&W are title favorites for both championships this year. It’s encouraging to know that we are every bit as good as them across several positions in the lineup, and it’s extremely motivating to know we’ve got lots of work to do to catch them in others.

Our next match weekend promises to be a good one with our first home matches of the season, as Harvard and Cornell make the long trip south to Charlottesville. We’ve battled so hard in front of some hostile crowds and tough environments, so I’m really looking forward to being on our own courts and in front of our own fans. Go Hoos!”

FROM ASSISTANT COACH MARK BROEKMAN

“Our best result against the No. 1 team in the country and the most dominant team in college squash for the last three years. A sensational five-set win from No. 4 Dylan [Moran] after playing an 80-minute match the day before against Columbia. Then backed up by a gritty and tight fought battle by Juan Jose Torres Lara, earning our second and final win of the day at two. Ewan [Harris], Oscar [Okonkwo] and Juan Irisarri also came close after taking games off their opposition. Overall, a Penn team with a little more strength and depth proved to be a bridge too far for our now 6-1 Cavs.”

CAVALIER NOTES

• Juan Jose Torres Lara is 4-0 playing at position two this season.
• The Cavaliers’ two points against Penn are their most ever in the all-time series dating to 2017.

UP NEXT

• Virginia hosts opponents at the McArthur Squash Center for the first time this season, beginning with No. 3 Harvard on Friday, Dec. 5 at 1 p.m. The Cavaliers will then take on No. 10 Cornell on Saturday, Dec. 6 at 1 p.m.

#1 Penn 7, #4 Virginia 2

1 | Omar Hafez (PENN) def. Juan Irisarri (VA) 11-6, 7-11, 11-5, 11-5
2 | Juan Jose Torres Lara (VA) def. Marwan Abdelsalam (PENN) 11-8, 10-12, 12-10, 11-8
3 | Salman Khalil (PENN) def. JP Tew (VA) 11-9, 11-3, 11-4
4 | Dylan Moran (VA) def. Rustin Wiser (PENN) 11-7, 10-12, 12-10, 2-11, 11-6
5 | Alexander Dartnell (PENN) def. Krishna Mishra (VA) 11-5, 11-9, 11-4
6 | Gregory Malsang (PENN) def. Oscar Okonkwo (VA) 11-8, 11-6, 8-11, 11-4
7 | Zane Patel (PENN) def. Maxwell Velazquez (VA) 11-8, 11-6, 11-6
8 | Rehan Luthra (PENN) def. Ewan Harris (VA) 9-11, 11-6, 8-11, 11-5, 11-2
9 | Will Newman (PENN) def. Henry Raine (VA) 11-4, 11-9, 11-5