Old Dominion
Bulls Swept at Wrestle For A Cure Duals
11/12/2011 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
HARRISBURG, PA - Despite a strong performance by redshirt freshman Max Soria in his first start at 125 pounds, the Buffalo wrestling team lost all four of its duals Saturday at the 2nd annual Wrestle for a Cure duals. The Bulls faced Old Dominion, Navy, Lock Haven and Utah Valley.
In its first match of the day, the team started strong against Old Dominion thanks to a second-period pin from Soria and decisions from Kevin Smith at 141 and Blake Roulo at 149. Despite the early 12-3 lead, the Bulls would only take one more match (a 4-3 decision for Jake Waste at 184 pounds) and the Monarchs rallied to win the dual 24-15.
Next up would be the Midshipmen of Navy, and again Soria managed to lead things off with a win, taking an 7-5 overtime decision. Smith, Roulo and Waste again were also able to secure decisions, with junior Mark Lewandowski also winning his match. With both teams winning five matches apiece, it came down to bonus points, and Navy won three major decisions and added a pin to take a 21-15 win.
Bonus points would again haunt UB in its next dual, against Lock Haven. Again, both teams won five matches, with Soria and Lewandowski joining Justin Farmer (133), Justin Lozano (174) and Justin Heiserman (197) as winners. Soria garnered the team's first bonus point of the day after taking a 17-4 major decision against John Trumbetti. The Bulls carried a 16-13 lead into the final match of the dual, but Lock Haven won a major decision in the heavyweight bout and upset UB 17-16.
Looking for a win to cap the day, Buffalo faced Utah Valley. After the first five matches, the teams had traded decisions, with Buffalo holding a slim 9-6 lead with wins from Soria, Smith and Lewandowski. Again it was unable to capitalize on the early lead though, losing four of the last five and falling 19-12.
Now 0-4 for the season in duals, the team will need to regroup quickly. Next up will be the Michigan Wolverines, who earned the number seven ranking in the preseason NWCA/USA Today Top 25 poll. The dual will be held in Alumni Arena, and the match is slated to start at 5 pm.
