Fencers Defeated As Eli Swordsmen Take Final Bout

The Harvard fencing team once again went down to the wire before succumbing, as the bladesmen lost the final bout of the day when Yale's Danny Snyder came from behind to outduel freshman Eugene Vastola and give the Elis a 14-13 win.

The Crimson had built up a slim 5-4 lead after the first round of weapons, led by double victories in foil and epee. Captain Phillippe Bennett and John Major each foiled their Bulldog blade brandishers, and Matt Simmons and John Hirschfeld easily took their epee bouts. Nick Tepe was the only saberman on target however, and that proved costly as the match wore on.

Tepe continued his winning ways into the second round and picked up some help along the way when John Chipman successfully crossed swords with his opponent. Bennett won again and Vastola regained his form, but Yale's Stanley Ng, enroute to a three bout sweep, outdueled Major to get the Elis back on track.

Going into the final round the Crimson was still in command holding a 10-8 lead. But a Yale whitewash in saber turned the tide, and despite Simmons's third win of the day, and Hirschfeld's second, the handwriting was on the wall. The writing became even more legible when foiler Bennett was cut down by Ng. Major tied the match at 13 apiece, to set the stage for what one fencer termed "the best day in Danny Snyder's life." Snyder won the next bout 5-4 to give Yale the match.