GOSHEN -- Five straight-set singles victories put the Maple Leaf men's tennis team back on the right track Thursday as Goshen snapped a two-match losing streak with a 6-3 win over Spring Arbor University.

Spring Arbor jumped out to an early lead, taking two of the three doubles points, but Aritha Weerasinghe and Jon Kaasa provided the first spark for Goshen. At first, that too looked unlikely with the Leafs falling behind 4-1. After a pair of service holds, Goshen broke back to tie the match at 5-5 before prevailing 9-7 in the pro set.

But whatever advantage the Cougars had was quickly erased in singles. Luis Perez, playing in the number-one spot, led the charge with a 6-1, 6-1 victory. His doubles partner, Vasanth Palainasamy, surrendered only three games in a two-set win at no. 3, a feat duplicated at no. 6 by Michael Oyer. Weerasinghe and Taylor Ermoian rounded out Goshen's scoring at no. 4 and no. 5 respectively.

The singles wins struck a chord with Maple Leaf head coach Stan King. "I was pleased to see that our guys were playing aggressively, taking the net when possible," he said. "Vasanth Palanisamy got back to his good game of 'painting the lines' and Aritha Weerasinghe played aggressively from the start and took the net often at #4." 

And while the Leafs dropped a point in singles, even that match (no. 2 singles, where Kaasa fell 6-2, 3-6, (10-7) to Jesse DeBoer) drew praise from the 16th-year head coach.

"Kaasa did a nice job of winning his second set after losing the first, but unfortunately he was unable to carry enough momentum to win the super tie-break third set," King said. "Our guys were really needing a win today, and coming from behind was a great confidence booster for the team."

The victory pulls King's squad back to .500 at 2-2 in the Crossroads League and raises the Leafs' season record to 2-4. Goshen returns to the court Saturday at Saint Francis in a 4:00 p.m. match.

Complete Results: Goshen 6, Spring Arbor 3

Doubles:

1. Kaasa/Weerasinghe (G) def Darling/DeBoer 9-7
2. Hall/Mayotte (SA) def Perez/Palanisamy 8-4
3. Herlein/Fitzpatrick (SA) def Ermoian/Oyer 8-3

Singles:
1. Luis Perez (G) def Michael Darling 6-1, 6-1
2. Jesse DeBoer (SA) def Jon Kaasa 6-2, 3-6, 10-7
3. Vasanth Palanisamy (G) John Hall 6-1, 6-2
4. Aritha Weerasinghe (G) Tony Mayotte 6-1, 6-3
5. Taylor Ermoian (G) def Jacob Byrd 6-2, 7-5
6. Michael Oyer (G) def Andrew Fitzpatrick 6-1, 6-2