HANOVER, NH (February 7, 2015) -- The Vassar College men's fencing team came to within two bouts of earning a sweep Saturday, falling to Sacred Heart Univeristy 15-12 in the finale but still coming away with three victories in the final day of Northeast Fencing Conference action from Dartmouth College in Alumni Gymnasium. 

The Brewers (20-12) cruised past their first three combatants, earning wins over the University of New Hampshire (22-5), Boston University (26-1) and the University of Massachusetts (22-5). In the final match against one of the best teams in the league, the Brewers went toe-to-toe with the Pioneers. 

Down the stretch, Brewer junior captain Elam Coalson (River Forest, IL/Oak Park & River Forest) earned a clutch sabre win to keep the Brewer chances alive. In the end, the Brewers dropped two nailbiters in epee 5-4, pushing Sacred Heart past Vassar for the 15-12 win. 

On the afternoon, sophomore Ry Farley (Pasadena, CA/Waverly School) led the epee team with nine wins Saturday, while George Whiteside (Fairfield, CT/Fairfield Ludlowe) added eight wins and Jonathan Alperstein (Fishkill, NY/John Jay) went 7-1 on the day. Freshman Daniel Swerzenski (Oak Ridge, NJ/Butler) went an unblemished 4-0 on the afternoon. 

In men's foil, the Brewers were led by senior Tre Artis (Jamaica, NY/Benjamin Cardozo) who earned eight wins including finishing the afternoon with a pair of huge wins against Sacred Heart, including a win over NCAA qualifier Andrew Holmes. Freshman Tom Racek (Clark's Summit, PA/Abington Heights) also earned seven wins for VC in foil. 

In men's sabre, freshman Eli Polston (Silver Spring, MD/Einstein) pulled to within one for the team lead in victories with an 8-2 day Saturday, as the sabre team went a fantastic 29-7 on the day. Junior Zachary Wilson (Rochester, NY/Allendale Columbia School) had his best day of the season, going 8-1, and Campbell Woods (Newport Beach, CA/Corona Del Mar) posted five wins in six matches and freshman Eric Lee (Fishkill, NY/John Jay) won all four of his bouts for VC. 

The Brewers head to New York University Tuesday night, taking on No. 2 Columbia University and host NYU in non-conference fencing action.