Feb. 20, 2009

Complete Results

PRINCETON, N.J. - The 13th-seeded Navy squash team lost its opening-round match at the CSA Team Championship Friday morning, dropping a 7-2 decision to No. 12 Bates at the Lawrenceville School in New Jersey.

"We were well prepared for our match today, but just couldn't get things going our way," said Navy head coach Craig Dawson, who has led the Mids to a 26-7 record this season. "We knew it would be a tough battle going into the match since Bates had nearly the same results as we did against common opponents. We really played well at the top of the ladder, but it wasn't enough for us to get a win."

The top third of the Mids' lineup played a strong match, led by junior Nils Mattsson (Spring House, Pa.) who knocked off 40th-ranked Kush Mahan in three games. Mattsson, who stands 49th in the rankings and No. 1 on the Navy ladder, improved to 21-6 on the year behind a 9-7, 9-2, 9-7 win in Friday's match.

Navy sophomore Allan Lutz (McLean, Va.) and Bates' Will Katz engaged in a marathon match at the No. 2 spot, as each player matched the other's move. Katz took game one by a 9-4 count, however Lutz came back to earn a 9-3 win in the second to tie it up. Thanks to a 9-2 win, Katz once again took the lead in the match, but a feisty Lutz fought back to send the match into a fifth game thanks to a 9-4 win in the fourth. Katz proved to be too much for Lutz by the end of the match, as the sophomore turned back Lutz in a 3-2 win.

Junior Ben Mantica (Binghamton, N.Y.) claimed a 3-1 win at the No. 3 spot, outlasting Bates junior Jordan Greenberg. Mantica edged Greenberg in the opening game, but Greenberg battled his way back to even the match behind a 9-7 win. Mantica, though, cruised to a 9-1 win in game three and closed out the match with a 9-5 win in the fourth.

Five of the remaining six matches were decided in three games. Senior captain Christopher Zipf (Gladwyne, Pa.) gave a valiant effort at the No. 7 position where he knotted the match at a win apiece after turning back Russel in the second game, 9-1. Russell, however, took the match in four after earning 9-5 and 9-2 wins in the remaining games.

The Midshipmen will move to the consolation bracket where they will face Amherst on Saturday at 6:00 pm at Princeton's Jadwin Gym. Navy holds a 30-7 advantage in the series, however the two programs have not met since December of 2006 when the Mids snapped a six-match losing streak to the Lord Jeffs behind a 5-4 win.

Bates 7, Navy 2 • Feb. 20, 2009 • Princeton, N.J.1   Nils Mattsson (N) def. Kush Mahan (B)        9-7, 9-2, 9-72   Will Katz (B) def. Allan Lutz (N)            9-4, 3-9, 9-2, 4-9, 9-23   Ben Mantica (N) def. Jordan Greenberg (B)    10-8, 7-9, 9-1, 9-54   Matt Marchisotto (B) def. Brad Seidel (N)    9-6, 9-0, 9-45   Nick Echeverria (B) def. Allen Hartley (N)   9-4, 9-2, 9-56   Bobby Burns (B) def. Justin Langan (N)       10-8, 9-1, 9-47   Chip Russell (B) def. Christopher Zipf (N)   9-2, 1-9, 9-5, 9-28   Marc Taggart (B) def. Tommy McNamara (N)     10-8, 9-0, 9-49   Charlie Johnson (B) def. Clayton Young (N)   9-7, 9-7, 9-2