PHILADELPHIA — The sixth-seeded Columbia men's squash team's run for a College Squash Association National Championship was stopped short by No. 2 Harvard, as the Lions fell to the Crimson, 7-2, in the semifinals on Saturday at the Penn Squash Courts.
Columbia (9-7) advanced to Saturday's semis after upsetting No. 3 Trinity, 5-4, on Friday. The victory was the program's first over the Bantams.
Saturday, they weren't as fortunate.
Rutvik Rau and
Justin Ghaeli earned wins in the No. 7 and No. 9 matches, respectively, but the rest of the Lions were overmatched by Harvard (14-1). Despite the result, Columbia improved on its score line from the match between the two sides earlier this season, which the Crimson took, 8-1.
Ghaeli's win improved his dual record to a team-best 9-4 this season. Rau bumped his record up to 7-5.
Columbia will take on No. 4 Yale in the third-place match of the Potter Cup draw on Sunday. Start time is set for 2:30 p.m. ET. The Lions will be looking to avenge a 7-2 loss to the Bulldogs from earlier this season.
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