A road trip, generally unpleasant in any sport, meant disaster for the Harvard squash team this weekend.

The Crimson, which had defeated Navy 9-0 here last year, lost 6-3 at Annapolis Friday. It was Harvard's first squash loss of the year, its second in the last six years.

That did not end the squash team's troubles, however. Harvard played at Penn Saturday, and Crimson number-two man Rick Sterne had to pull out a long five-game match to clinch a 5-4 victory for Harvard.

Navy pulled off the upset by beating Harvard at its strongest positions -- at the top. The Crimson won only one of the top five matches. Jose Gonzalez, at number three, won over Navy's A. Cowin, 3-1, and over Penn's Richie Cohen, 3-0, to be Harvard's sole double winner.

Three of Harvard's top five players, Anil Nayar (one), Sterne (two), and Matt Hall (five) had never met defeat in an intercollegiate match before the Navy match. Nayar, after dropping the first two games to Scott Ryan, 15-11 and 15-10, stormed back to win, the next two, 15-4 and 15-5. In the fifth, however, his surge fell short, 15-12.

Hall and Craig Stapleton (four) both lost four-game decisions, but 3-0 victories by Gordon Black (six) and Michel Sheinmann (nine) kept Harvard alive right down to the last two matches. With Harvard trailing 4-3, Sterne and John Harwood (eight) each had 2-1 leads in the deciding matches. Neither won.

Bounced Back

Against Penn, Harvard's top players bounced back and swept the first four matches. Nayar, Gonzalez, and Stapleton all won 3-0 matches. Sterne won the deciding match against Penn's Clay Hamlin after trailing 2-1 in games, 15-11, 8-15, 8-15, 15-12, 15-6. Harvard's Yoshi Akabane, at seven, won Harvard's fifth match by downing Gibb Kane, 3-1.

The loss to Harvard was the first for Penn, which had earlier defeated Yale, 5-4. Navy must play the Quakers in Philadelphia, without the distinct advantage of the wild cheering section at the Academy.

Navy 6, Harvard 3

Ryan (Navy) defeated Nayar (Harvard) 15-11, 15-10, 4-15, 5-15, 15-12; Earl (N) def. Sterne (H) 18-16, 13-15, 12-15, 15-6, 15-11; Gonzalez (H) def. Cowin (N) 15-11, 9-15, 15-13, 15-12; Scott (N) def. Stapleton (R) 15-11, 15-11, 9-15, 18-16; Hughes (N) def. Hall (H) 17-16, 15-8, 15-17, 15-10; Black (H) def. Minter (N) 15-14, 15-14, 16-15; Fossum (N) def. Akabane (H) 17-15, 18-15, 12-15, 15-11; Beard (N) def. Harwood (H) 15-6, 12-15, 7-15, 15-12, 15-4; Scheinmann (H) def. Jones (N) 15-11, 18-17, 15-9.

Harvard 5, Penn 4

Nayar (H) def. Serues (P) 15-12, 15-3, 15-4; Sterne (H) def. Hamlin (P) 15-11, 8-15, 15-12, 15-6; Gonzalez (H) def. Cohen (P) 15-7, 15-13, 17-14; Stapleton (H) def. Arkuni (P) 15-6, 15-13, 15-4; Keilel (P) def. Hall (H) 15-5, 17-16, 12-15, 15-12; George (P) def. Black (H) 15-13, 15-8, 11-15, 15-10; Melidosian (P) def. Harwood (H) 18-16, 15-7, 5-15, 15-12; Levin (P) def. Scheinmann (H) 15-10, 6-15, 18-15, 15-11.