For all but one member of the men's squash team, Thursday night's win over No. 12 Navy was your typical 9-0 rout. But for freshman Thomas Mattsson, this victory meant a lot more.
That's because sitting at the No. 1 spot for the Midshipmen (16-2) was his brother, Nils. But thanks to dominating play throughout the lineup, the No. 7 Quakers (2-1, 0-1 Ivy) gave the younger Mattsson bragging rights over his big brother.
"I love it," Thomas said. "I'm gonna be rubbing it in his face for the next 12 months."
And he'll have plenty to boast about. Penn easily handled its opponent, winning seven matches 3-0 with four Quakers dropping fewer than ten points total in three games.
Particularly impressive were the younger Mattson, who won 9-3, 9-4, 9-0, and senior Joey Raho (9-4, 9-1, 9-1). The Quakers did not lose a game until the evening's final rotation.
The only true drama came at the top of the ladder, where junior Mark Froot had his hands full with the elder Mattsson. Mattsson grabbed the first two games over Froot - who pulled an all-nighter Wednesday night to study - before coming back to earn the victory.
"I didn't get enough rest," he said. "I came in not expecting much, then got into the game. I got lucky on some shots, but it was definitely fun. I'll remember this day for a while."
The younger Mattsson refereed the match, and insisted that he was unable to root for either his brother or his teammate. Rather, he rooted for a good match, which his brother and Froot definitely provided.
"They play pretty contrasting styles," Thomas said. "My brother picks a lot of balls up, and Froot likes to go for shots. It makes for a good match."
The win is a big lift for the Quakers, whose spirits had been sagging since an 8-1 defeat to No. 6 Cornell two weeks ago. Now, the team has regained focus, and Froot credits that for the dominating performance last night.
"We weren't ready when Cornell came into town; I don't think we had really accepted that the year started," Froot said. "We definitely have our heads in the game now."
Penn coach Craig Thorpe-Clark came into the night expecting a win (upsets in squash are a rarity) but did not expect to see his squad dominate the way it did.
Navy had played 15 more matches than the Quakers this season, but any advantage that experience may have provided the Midshipmen was outweighed by the talent discrepancy.
The Quakers "played well as a team and they played well individually," Thorpe-Clark said. "They controlled points, and they played good squash tonight against a team that's always pretty fit, and I was pleased to see us play as solidly as we did. It was a very good win for us."
Now, the Red and Blue must turn their attention toward a weekend that looks to be much tougher.
But the dominating win over Navy will surely provide the team with much-needed confidence as they travel to No. 3 Yale Saturday and Brown Sunday.
