Goucher Men's Tennis Edged By Scranton In Landmark Conference Semifinals, 5-4
SCRANTON, Pa. - The day started great for Goucher College after winning two doubles and taking the first set in four of the five singles matches. The Landmark Conference Men's Tennis Semifinals came down to two matches that went to three-set matches, and the University of Scranton came away with both competitions to edge the Gophers, 5-4, and end the Blue and Gold drive for five straight conference tournament titles on Tuesday.
Holding a 4-3 lead and needing one win to secure the victory, Slade Dumas (Great Falls, Va./Dominion) lost the final two sets at No. 1 singles to fall 3-6, 6-2, 6-0 to tie the match at four wins apiece between the two team.
The match and the right to move onto the championship bout on Saturday came down to the No. 2 singles match. Brian Kane (Philadelphia, Pa./Friends Select), who moved into the No. 2 singles slot after the regular-season meeting against Scranton, won the first set 6-4, but then lost 6-1 in the second set to set up a third-set tiebreaker.
Kane trailed 5-3 in the third set before winning the next three games to take a 6-5 lead. Scranton tied the match at six to set up a third-set tiebreaker to decide the match. The tiebreaker was tied at two before Scranton won the final five points to secure the victory for Scranton.
Goucher jumped out to a 2-1 lead to start the day after doubles. Kane and Angel Cerpa (El Paso, Texas/Americas) put the Gophers on the board with an 8-6 win at No. 2 doubles.
Dumas and Omosesan Adebamgbe (Philadelphia, Pa./Lower Merion) avenged an 8-3 loss in the regular-season meeting against Scranton with an 8-7 (8-6) win in a tiebreaker at No. 1 doubles.
Cerpa won at No. 4 singles 6-4, 6-0, and Adebamgbe won at No. 3 singles, 6-1, 6-1 to push the Gophers to the brink of a berth in the Landmark Conference Championship Game, but Scranton rallied to win the final two matches to earn the win.
Alex Dominguez (Healdsburg, Calif./Healdsburg) fell 6-0, 6-0 at No. 5 singles, while Scranton was awarded two points after the Blue and Gold defaulted at No. 3 singles and No. 6 singles.
Dumas finishes his career with a 66-24 singles record to hold both the Goucher and Landmark Conference record for career wins. He also finishes his career tied with former teammate Frankie Mullinix (52, 2016-20) for fourth on the program's career doubles wins list with 52 victories.
Goucher falls to 10-2 in the Landmark Conference postseason and 2-2 on the road in the conference postseason. It also marks the Gophers' first loss in the Landmark semifinals, and it will be the first Landmark Conference Championship Game without the Blue and Gold since 2014.
Doubles
(GC) Omosesan Adebamgbe/Slade Dumas defeats (US) Tarquin McGurrin/James Harrington, 8-7 (8-6)
(GC) Angel Cerpa/Brian Kane defeats (US) Patrick O'Mara/Nathan Tauber, 8-6
(US) Sal Sullivan/Steen Prosperino wins by default
Singles
(US) Tarquin McGurrin defeats (GC) Slade Dumas, 3-6, 6-2, 6-0
(US) James Harrington defeats (GC) Brian Kane, 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7-2)
(GC) Omosesan Adebamgbe defeats (US) Nathan Tauber, 6-1, 6-1
(GC) Angel Cerpa defeats (US) Patrick O'Mara, 6-4, 6-0
(US) Sal Sullivan defeats (GC) Alex Dominguez, 6-0, 6-0
(US) Jason Budrys wins by default