PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Harvard men's squash is moving on in the Potter Cup draw at the CSA Team National Championships after defeating the No. 6 Columbia Lions this afternoon in the quarterfinal round. The Crimson came away with a 6-3 win over the Lions to move on to the semifinals tomorrow morning. Harvard is back in the semifinal round for the first time since 2023 and will take on the No. 2 Penn Quakers for a spot in the Championship match on Sunday.
How it Happened
The Crimson's Potter Cup chase began this afternoon in the quarterfinal round of the CSA Team National Championships. Harvard faced off against Columbia in its first match of the tournament this morning, meeting the Lions on court for the second time this season.
Columbia was first on the scoreboard in the contest, taking the win at nines.
Omar Azzam and
Maddox Moxham fought back for the Crimson, taking the wins at three and five to help Harvard take a 2-1 lead after the first wave. After splitting the first two games in his match, Azzam rallied to win the third and fourth games to capture a 3-1 victory. Moxham posted a thrilling 3-2 come-from-behind win at fives to help his team earn a key point in the match. Moxham fell in the first two games and rallied to win the final three games – including a clutch 14-12 victory in the fourth game – to clinch the win.
Jacob Lin opened the second wave with a swift 3-0 win at sevens.
Alexander Broadbridge battled in his match at sixes, but would eventually fall 1-3 to his foe.
David Costales secured the final point of the second wave with what became a massive 3-2 victory. At second position, Costales won the first game in a tiebreak before falling in the next two games, falling behind 1-2. With his back against the wall, the Crimson captain posted a thrilling 13-11 victory in the fourth game and sealed the comeback win with an 11-8 win in the decisive fifth game. The win gave Harvard a 4-2 win heading into the final three matches.
The Lions fought back in the third wave, taking the win at eights to make the score 4-3.
Christian Capella and
Denis Gilevskiy closed the door on a potential Lions comeback, winning their matches at fours and ones to seal a 6-3 win for Harvard. Both student-athletes won their matches, 3-1, to help Harvard advance into the semifinal round for the first time since 2023.
Results
No. 3 Harvard – 6
No. 6 Columbia - 3
1 -
Denis Gilevskiy def. Yusuf Sheikh (COLUMBIA), 3-1 (11-5, 11-7, 7-11, 11-6)
2 -
David Costales def. Shaurya Bawa (COLUMBIA), 3-2 (12-10, 5-11, 8-11, 13-11, 11-8)
3 -
Omar Azzam def. Franklyn Smith (COLUMBIA), 3-1 (11-5, 7-11, 11-9, 11-4)
4 -
Christian Capella def. Ahmad Haq (COLUMBIA), 3-1 (11-5, 4-11, 11-6, 11-7)
5 -
Maddox Moxham. Def. Arhan Chandra (COLUMBIA), 3-2 (4-11, 6-11, 11-7, 14-12, 11-8)
6 - Imad Athar (COLUMBIA) def.
Alexander Broadbridge, 3-1 (11-9, 8-11, 11-6, 11-8)
7 -
Jacob Lin def. Paarth Ambani (COLUMBIA), 3-0 (12-10, 11-1, 11-3)
8 - Varun Fuloria (COLUMBIA) def.
Ishant Shah, 3-2 (11-5, 7-11, 5-11, 11-4, 11-5)
9 - Laszlo Godde (COLUMBIA) def.
Marcus Lee, 3-0 (11-7, 11-9, 11-4)
Order of Finish: 9, 3, 5, 7, 6, 2, 8, 4, 1
Up Next
The Crimson will battle the No. 2 Penn Quakers in what will be the third meeting between the two teams in the last four weeks. Harvard will look to defeat the Quakers and advance to the Potter Cup Finals, which are set for Sunday (Mar. 8) at 10:30 AM.
