With its first two matches already under its belt, the fencing team prepares for another successful season. “The first game went well, but that’s what I expected,” coach Scott Cunningham said.

The team dominated on March 4 against the Wallenberg Bulldogs. A glitch with junior fencer BJ Fong’s body cord — a cord that hooks the player up to the electronic score-keeping device — held up the game for about 15 minutes. Despite the technical difficulty, the boys’ team won all nine bouts. Wallenberg’s girls’ team had to forfeit the match because they had only one player.

The team also beat the Galileo Lions on March 2, with the boys’ team winning seven out of nine bouts, and the girls’ team winning all nine bouts.

Senior team historian George Feng is confident the team will continue to have a good season. “All other schools except University lost all their good players because they graduated,” Feng said. “Our best players were juniors, so we’re in our prime, as far as the guy’s team goes. Even with their star players last year, we still won all our matches.”

Team members continue to improve by training at The Halberstadt Fencer’s club, where they receive instruction from University High School’s coach, Peter Burchard, a former member of the US Championship team.

The new freshmen have yet to make appearances in matches, but once they gain more experience, they’ll be able to play. “We all help out with new fencers, and if they ask for help, we give them pointers,” junior fencer Ivania Molin said.

Come support the Cardinals at 4 p.m. on March 23 at Lowell against the Urban Blues.