FAIRFIELD, CT (December 5, 2010) – The Vassar College Men's Fencing team left the Sacred Heart Invitational with just a lone victory on Sunday, unable to overcome the extreme challenge of a field boasting some of the toughest teams in the nation.

The Brewers (10-7) will next travel to Cleveland State University for a multi-meet with Cleveland State, University of Detroit, Wayne State, Case Western and the University of Michigan on Saturday, January 15 at 9:00 a.m.

Vassar knew heading into Sunday's tournament that its first away meet of the season was almost certainly going to be the greatest challenge they would face all year. The field was stacked against them, including such powerhouses as defending national champions Penn State, #4 nationally ranked Princeton and #6 nationally ranked Harvard, as well as UNC, NYU and Sacred Hearts themselves — three teams which perennially give the Brewers stiff competition. Head Coach Bruce Gillman made a particular point of noting the level of competition in foil, stating that while the other two weapons would at some point during the day receive match-ups he classified as “at least manageable,” the challenge faced by the Vassar foil squad never let up for a single round. Here's a round-by-round breakdown of how the Brewers fared:

Round 1: Bye

Round 2: Vassar 8, Princeton 19

In an opening match foreshadowing the rounds to come, the Brewers found themselves staring down the #4 nationally ranked Princeton University Tigers. And yet, despite the long odds, the Brewers gave the Division I heavyweights a solid fight, even managing to take a 5-4 squad victory in epee thanks to 2-1 efforts by juniors Brian Rouse and Nick Johnson. The sabre squad put up an 3-6 effort, with all 3 wins coming from co-captain Andrew Fischl in what was the start of a tremendous day for the senior. The foil squad, however, was overwhelmed by Princeton's power, falling 0-9 despite their best efforts.

Round 3: Vassar 2, Harvard 25

The competition didn't get much easier after Princeton, and the #6 nationally ranked Crimson handed the Brewers their worse loss of both the day and the season. Vassar's sabre squad was the only group to manage any victories, with both epee and foil falling by 0-9 scores, and Fischl was again the catalyst, going 2-1 against competition which included a fencer who finished 6th in last year's NCAA championships, ten places ahead of Fischl himself.

Round 4: Vassar 15, UNC 12

The Brewers rebounded from the lopsided loss to Harvard with an impressive showing against the Tarheels to earn their only victory of the day, despite UNC claiming squad victories in two out of three weapons. The epee squad was the difference in this round, posting a 7-2 mark against UNC behind the 3-0 performance of sophomore Tavish Pegram. Sabre and foil both managed to keep Vassar within distance of UNC with identical 4-5 records, with freshman Alex Bue finishing 2-1 in foil and Fischl turning in a 3-0 effort in sabre.

Round 5: Vassar 10, Penn State 17

Moving from their first victory into a match-up with the defending national champions, who last season had at least one fencer from each weapon finish in the Top 3 at the NCAA championships, may have seemed like an impossible task, but the Brewers showed some competitive fire which gave the Nittany Lions a considerable fight. The sabre squad in particular shined against Penn State, winning the weapon by a 7-2 margin on the backs of another 3-0 performance by Fischl and matching 2-1 marks by senior Dennis D'Urso and freshman John Arden. The epee squad scored Vassar's three other victories, 2 of them by Rouse who subbed out in the final round. Foil was blanked for the second time, but despite the seemingly lopsided nature of the score had several matches come down to just a single point against one of the toughest sides in the country.

Round 6: Vassar 12, NYU 15

A dominant effort by NYU's foil squad, which again held the Brewers side winless, was the tipping point in a close fought match between the rivals. The epee squad managed to beat the Violets in convincing 7-2 fashion, with Rouse and Pegram both finishing 3-0. The sabre squad gutted out a close 5-4 victory, behind 2-1 efforts from both Fischl and D'Urso.

Round 7: Vassar 10, Sacred Heart 17

Hosts and rivals Sacred Heart faced Vassar at the end of a long, brutal day of challenges, and this time around the Pioneers got the best of the Brewers. The Brewers' lone squad victory was delivered by the strong epee squad, which finished 5-4 behind Pegram's 3-0 performance. The Pioneers managed a 6-3 victory over the Brewers in sabre, with Fischl's 2-1 finish leading the way for Vassar. In foil, the Brewers fell 2-7, with Bue providing one victory, and freshman Giovanni Zaccheo providing the other off the bench.