POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. - The Bard College men's squash team opened the 2018-19 season with a pair of narrow victories at the Vassar Round Robin on Saturday.

The Raptors got clutch performances from down the ladder in a season-opening 5-4 win over Boston University. The Terriers won at Nos. 1, 2 and 3 - including a five-set win over Theo Webb at No. 3 - but the Raptors hung in there. Artun Ak needed four games to win at No. 4, Simon Nichoson needed four games to win at No. 6, and John Michael Richards won his first-ever match, 11-1, 11-5 and 11-1 at No. 7. A pair of defaults at 8 and 9 clinched the victory for Bard.

"Artun, Simon and John Michael Richards came through for us, in what was a tough match," Bard coach Craig Thorpe-Clark said.

Later in the day, Bard edged Lehigh, 5-4. This time, Rhys Nordstrom, Julian Dime and Webb won and Nos. 1, 2 and 3, but Noah Gichan played the hero on the first day of his varsity squash career, beating Sean Malcolm 11-4, 10-12, 13-11, 8-11 and 15-13 at No. 8.
 

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Bard 5, Boston University 4
1. Hunter Chan (BU) def. Rhys Nordstrom 11-6, 11-6, 11-7
2. Parker Tonisi (BU) def. Julian Dime 7-11, 11-8, 12-10, 11-7
3. Stefano Viacava (BU) def. Theo Webb 10-12, 7-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-9
4. Artun Ak (BC) def. Matthew Wallace 11-9, 9-11, 11-4, 11-2
5. Karam Mahtab (BU) def. Alex Luscher 11-7, 11-7, 11-5
6. Simon Nichoson (BC) def. Jason Gao 13-11, 7-11, 11-9, 11-8
7. John Michael Richards (BC) def. Chad Lavoie 11-1, 11-5, 11-1
8. Noah Gichan (BC) by default
9. Devon Wall (BC) by default

Bard 5, Lehigh 4
1. Nordstrom (B) def. Sam Ghorashi 12-10, 11-9, 11-6
2. Dime (B) def. Corey Bancroft 8-11, 11-6, 11-5, 11-6
3. Webb (B) def. Colin Hussey 11-9, 11-8, 11-4
4. Max Fern (L) def. Ak 12-10, 11-3, 11-5
5. PJ Walsh (L) def. Luscher 11-1, 11-5, 11-7
6. Ben Rankin (L) def. Nichoson 11-9, 11-4, 4-11, 11-3
7. Henry Nimey (L) def. Richards 11-6, 11-3, 11-1
8. Gichan (B) def. Sean Malcolm 11-4, 10-12, 13-11, 8-11, 15-13
9. Wall (B) def. Salvadore Silva 11-3, 11-4, 11-8