Goshen tops No. 22 Bethel 6-1 behind sweep in doubles and five singles wins
| doubles_team_point | singles_points | T | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GOS | 1 | 5 | 6 |
| BET | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Goshen College opened with a clean doubles sweep and carried that momentum through singles Wednesday, defeating No. 22 Bethel 6-1 at Ward Baker Park in Mishawaka, Indiana. The Maple Leafs claimed the doubles team point with wins in all three flights, then added five of six singles matches to finish off the result.
The fast start set the tone. Iago Ciucio and Garrett Stoltzfus earned a 6-1 win at No. 1 doubles, while Mahmut Emre Gurmeric and Timo Novak matched that score at No. 2. Paulo Santiago and Filippo Gallo completed the sweep with a 6-3 victory at No. 3, giving Goshen the early 1-0 edge before singles play began.
Goshen then took control across the singles lineup. Ciucio won 6-3, 6-4 at No. 1 singles over Dimitar Berdankov, and Stoltzfus posted the same 6-3, 6-4 score at No. 3 against Atanas Ivanov. At No. 5, Gallo pulled through a tight opening set and went on to a 7-6, 6-1 win over Ostap Talama. Santiago added another straight-set point at No. 6, beating Santiago Flores 6-3, 6-4.
The most competitive Goshen singles win came from Novak at No. 2. After edging the first set in a tiebreak, Novak dropped the second before regrouping for a 6-4 third-set win, closing out a 7-6, 4-6, 6-4 decision over Aidyn Batyrbekov. Bethel's only point came at No. 4 singles, where Lukas Slivar rallied past Gurmeric 4-6, 7-6, 6-2.
Several Maple Leafs delivered in both phases of the match. Ciucio, Stoltzfus, Gallo, Santiago and Novak each contributed a singles victory, and four of those five also helped secure doubles wins. Gallo and Santiago teamed for the No. 3 doubles victory, while Ciucio and Stoltzfus controlled the top doubles flight. Novak also figured prominently in the doubles point alongside Gurmeric.
With the win, Goshen moved to 7-6 overall and 2-0 in conference play. Beating a ranked Bethel squad on the road in such decisive fashion gave the Maple Leafs one of their strongest results of the season, built from the opening doubles point and capped by Novak's three-set finish at No. 2.
