GOSHEN — The Goshen College Maple Leafs made their first home match in Crossroads League tournament history count Tuesday night, defeating Huntington 5-4 in the quarterfinals of the single-elimination event.
Goshen jumped out to a 2-1 lead after the doubles portion of the match. Balazs Pirot and Jon Kaasa teamed up at no. 1 doubles for the first time since the season opener and cruised through the top spot 8-2. Aritha Weerasinghe and Michael Oyer, also debuting together, picked up a break in the final game of their match for an 8-6 win.
"It was gratifying to see Pirot and Kaasa dominate at no. 1 doubles," said sixteenth-year Goshen head coach Stan King.
At the bottom of the singles lineup, Michael Oyer put the Leafs' third point on the board in a 6-0, 6-0 sweep at no. 6. At no. 5, Vasanth Palanisamy won 6-2, 6-2 to put Goshen up 4-1. The match-clinching fifth point came from Weerasinghe, who won a tightly-contested 6-4, 6-2 match.
"Aritha came back nicely from a 3-4 deficit in the first set before coasting to a second-set win," said King. "And that was the all-important fifth point."
At no. 3 singles, Kaasa dropped a 6-2, 7-5 decision to the Foresters' Adrian Beloqui. And with the team match decided, Pirot and Luis Perez retired from their matches to avoid aggravating old injuries.
"Jon played good tennis, though he was unable to overcome a strong opponent," said King. "And though Balazs was leading in his match, it was decided he should retire in favor of resting."
Maple Leaf fans filled the bleachers as Goshen hosted tournament tennis for the first time ever: for most of the history of Mid-Central College Conference and Crossroads League tennis, the tournament was held at a single, neutral venue. The athletic-department-sponsored tailgate saw nearly 200 hot dogs grilled in throughout the course of the match.
"This was a sweet and memorable win for Maple Leaf men's tennis," said King. "We had fantastic fan support throughout the three hours of match play. The tailgate event, and all the excitement that went with it and the tennis, was a great experience for the team."
The win pulls Goshen's record above .500 at 7-6 for the season. The Leafs advance to the semifinals of the Crossroads League tournament, where they will travel to Indianapolis to play no. 1 seed Marian at 4 p.m. Thursday.
Complete Results: Goshen 5, Huntington 4
Singles:
Diego Inurruteggi (H) def Balazs Pirot 5-7, 4-4, retired
Julian Massa (H) def Luis Perez 4-6, 2-3, retired
Adrian Beloqui (H) def Jon Kaasa 6-2, 7-5
Vasanth Palanisamy (G) def Joe Brenneman 6-2, 6-2
Aritha Weerasinghe (G) def Volodymyre Kohut 6-4, 6-2
Michael Oyer (G) def Jacob Cross 6-0, 6-0
Doubles:
Pirot/Kaasa (G) def Inurruteggi/Beloqui 8-2
Strazanicky/Massa (H) def Perez/Palanisamy 8-5
Weerasinghe/Oyer (G) def Brenneman/Kohut 8-6
