Early in the day, freshman Tyler Olson contributed a 3-1 victory after initially dropping his first game, meaning that with both squads tied at four wins apiece, the outcome of the match came down to the battle at the No. 7 spot.

Scherl won the opening game, 13-11. Ward took the next, 11-6.

The third game was tense, with each point eliciting a loud response from the crowd. Ward jumped to an 8-4 lead, but Scherl battled back with strong play. In the end, Ward was able to take the game, 13-11, and the momentum, finally defeating Scherl in the fourth, 11-8.

“The guys that lost fought to the absolute bitter end,” Way said. “They will review the mental and tactical aspects on this, but you can’t fault anyone. No one threw the towel in. No one capitulated.”

Harvard will try to use the experience gleaned from this near-upset in hopes of capturing an even larger one next weekend, when the Crimson will aim to snap Trinity’s 13-year and intercollegiate varsity sport record 252-game winning streak next weekend in Hartford.

“It was a really tough battle,” Farag said. “I am a little disappointed that we lost, but it’s going to raise our game heading into next weekend.”

—Staff writer David Mazza can be reached at damazza@college.harvard.edu.