GOSHEN, Ind. — A pair of victories sent the Goshen College men's tennis team into the postseason on a positive note Saturday at the John Ingold Athletic Complex as the Maple Leafs swept Saint Francis 9-0 and defeated Roosevelt 7-2.
The Maple Leafs (10-2, 7-2) used 10 players to get through the back-to-back matches, with freshman Josh Friesen going 4-0 as the only player to see varsity action the maximum four times.
After Goshen's top doubles team of Danny Boussom and Martim Cafe opened the day with an 8-1 win over Saint Francis, neither player factored into the singles portion of that match. Juan Miguel Ciudad slid up one spot from his usual no. 2 to post a 6-1, 6-2 victory at the top position, while Kartikeya Sharma posted his first of two 6-0 sets in a win at no. 2 and Friesen blanked Alex Stavretis at no. 3.
The singles hiatuses enabled junior Thomas Schlabach to make his varsity debut in the no. 5 spot with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Tony Tomeh while Byeong Min Lim topped Reggie Garrett at no. 6. Lim also teamed with Brandon Nguyen to break into the varsity doubles lineup, recording an 8-2 win while Ciudad and Sharma sat out that segment.
Cafe and Friesen both won twice in the nightcap, a non-conference match against a Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference team that plays its conference slate in the spring semester. The Maple Leafs dropped two or fewer games in nine of the 12 full singles sets and posted a 10-4 win in the tiebreaker played in lieu of a final stanza.
Roosevelt (2-1) got its two victories from Kendrick Chong at no. 5 singles and the duo of Kerwin Chong and Danny Fuqua at no. 2 doubles. With Goshen's doubles lineup back at full strength, Friesen and Luke Rush posted an 8-4 win at the third doubles position.
The Saint Francis result ensured that Goshen finishes as the outright third-place team in the Crossroads League standings, which means that the Maple Leafs will host their fourth postseason match in as many years on Tuesday. Sixth-seeded Grace will provide the opposition in the quarterfinal round of the conference tournament, with first serve set for 4:30 p.m. at the John Ingold Athletic Complex.
Results – Goshen 9, Saint Francis 0
Singles
1. Juan Miguel Ciudad def. Jay Stanchin 6-1, 6-2
2. Kartikeya Sharma def. Tyler Chrislieb 6-2, 6-0
3. Josh Friesen def. Alex Stavretis 6-0, 6-0
4. Evan Beck def. Jerod May 2-6, 6-1, (10-7)
5. Thomas Schlabach def. Tony Tomeh 6-1, 6-1
6. Byeong Min Lim def. Reggie Garrett 6-1, 6-2
Doubles
1. Danny Boussom/Martim Cafe def. Chrislieb/Stanchin 8-1
2. Friesen/Luke Rush def. May/Tomeh 8-4
3. Lim/Brandon Nguyen def. Steve Mullaney/Stavretis 8-2
Results – Goshen 7, Roosevelt 2
Singles
1. Juan Miguel Ciudad (GC) def. David Welk 6-4, 4-6, (10-4)
2. Martim Cafe (GC) def. Kerwin Chong 6-1, 6-3
3. Kartikeya Sharma (GC) def. Nathan Benoit 6-1, 6-0
4. Josh Friesen (GC) def. Jacob Fuqua 6-2, 6-2
5. Kendrick Chong (RU) def. Evan Beck 6-2, 6-1
6. Thomas Schlabach (GC) def. Kevin Day 6-1, 6-1
Doubles
1. Danny Boussom/Cafe (GC) def. Benoit/Wolk 8-2
2. Kerwin Chong/Fuqua (RU) def. Ciudad/Sharma 8-5
3. Friesen/Luke Rush (GC) def. Kendrick Chong/Day 8-4
Up Next: Tuesday, Oct. 2 — Grace at Goshen in Crossroads League tournament quarterfinal, 4:30 p.m.
