HARTFORD, Conn. — Freshman Ben Francis recorded his team-leading fourth victory of the season, but it was all the men's squash team could muster in an 8-1 loss to top-ranked Trinity on Monday afternoon. Cornell (3-2), which was tabbed 12th in the most recent College Squash Association's national rankings, only dropped four of the nine matches in straight sets against top-ranked Trinity (7-0).
 
Francis rallied from a first-set loss to eventually win in five at the No. 8 position. Unfortunately for the Big Red, the Bantams clinched the match before the final wave commenced. Francis was the only Cornell competitor to win all three of his matches in the squad's three-day trip to Yale, Brown and Trinity, also accounting for the lone point in an 8-1 setback to Yale on Saturday.
 
The Big Red returns to Ivy League play for its first home match of the season when it hosts Columbia at noon Friday at Belkin International Squash Courts in Ithaca, N.Y.
 
#1 TRINITY 8, #12 CORNELL 1
1. Rick Penders (T) def. Harry Freeman, 11-6, 11-5, 12-14, 11-9
2. Michael Craig (T) def. Kevin Flannery, 11-5, 11-1, 11-1
3. Juan Vargas (T) def. Perry Hanson, 11-6, 8-11, 11-6, 11-9
4. Tom De Mulder (T) def. Jordan Brail, 11-6, 8-11, 11-1,1 11-7
5. Affeeq Ismail (T) def. Andrew Muran, 12-10, 11-7, 11-8
6. James Evans (T) def. Graham Dietz, 11-2, 11-7, 11-7
7. Omar Allaudin (T) def. Alex Jung, 11-4, 11-9, 7-11, 11-7
8. Ben Francis (C) def. Tor Christoffersen, 5-11, 11-9, 11-2, 11-13, 11-8
9. Nku Patrick (T) def. Augie Jones, 11-6, 11-9, 11-2