Goldman Clinches No. 44 Trojans’ 4-3 Win Over No. 50 Young Harris

Posted: Oct 19, 2023

ANDERSON, S.C. – No. 44-ranked Anderson men's tennis (2-1) won a back-and-forth affair with No. 50 Young Harris (0-2) on Thursday afternoon at the Trojan Tennis Complex. The Trojans won their fourth straight matchup with the Mountain Lions behind a doubles point victory and a trio of singles wins.

AU began play by winning another doubles point, their third in as many matches. Junior Mathis Collignon and sophomore Hampton Goldman made quick work of their opponents at No. 3 doubles, winning 6-2. Junior Patrick Cronin and freshman Vicent Mico followed with an identical 6-2 win at No. 2. The Mountain Lions were victorious in the remaining match.

The Trojans started singles by winning 2 of the 4 first sets in matches that were on court first. Mico staged a late first-set comeback to take the set 6-4. The Trojan followed by running away with the second set without dropping a game.

Young Harris responded at the No. 1 spot, winning a 3rd-set match to cut AU's lead to 2-1. The next two matches on court went the distance as well, with one win going to each team. Collignon grabbed a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory at No. 5 for AU, and Young Harris prevailed 7-5 in the third set at No. 4.

With AU one point from victory, Goldman erased a 5-2 first set deficit and staved off a late comeback attempt to win 7-5, 6-3. Junior Drew Cagle was defeated in three sets at No. 6 to conclude play.

COACH'S CORNER

"I'm proud of how the guys competed today," said AU Head Coach Joey Eskridge. "It was definitely a team effort, from the bench to the starters. They put their heart and soul out there and gave it their all. All 3 matches we lost in singles went to 3 sets, and we won another in 3 [sets]. Hampton Goldman clinched it for us and that young man has worked his tail off to get into the lineup and be an impact player. As well as Drew Cagle, who had a great match at No. 6 against a quality opponent. I'm very proud of the guys, the effort we gave, and the belief that we showed in what we're doing! It was a great outing for us today."

UP NEXT

The Black and Gold will compete in Lagrange, Georgia at an individual tournament starting Saturday, October 21st. Collignon, Cronin, Mendes, and Mico will represent the Trojans in the event.

As a team, AU will hit the road for a match with Pfeiffer in their final fall dual match on Tuesday, October 23rd. Match time for the Trojans and Falcons is set for 2:00 p.m.

No. 44 Anderson 4, No. 50 Young Harris 3

Singles results:

1. Rodrigo Mendoza (YHC) def. Joao Mendes (AU) 4-6, 6-3, 6-0

2. Vicent Mico (AU) def. James Bixby (YHC) 6-4, 6-0

3. Mathis Collignon (AU) def. Caleb McCurry (YHC) 4-6, 6-3, 6-3

4. Mason Harmon (YHC) def. Patrick Cronin (AU) 6-4, 0-6, 7-5

5. Hampton Goldman (AU) def. Gregor Gottein (YHC) 7-5, 6-3

6. Eric DelValle (YHC) def. Drew Cagle (AU) 5-7, 6-0, 6-2

Order of Finish: 2, 1, 3, 4, 5, 6

Doubles results:

1. Rodrigo Mendoza/James Bixby (YHC) def. Drew Cagle/Joao Mendes (AU) 7-5

2. Patrick Cronin/Vicent Mico (AU) def. Mason Harmon/Caleb McCurry (YHC) 6-2