Northern Illinois
Bulls Falter Late To Northern Illinois; Drop Final Home Dual, 20-14
2/23/2014 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
BUFFALO, NY – The University at Buffalo wrestling team (3-18, 0-8 MAC) suffered another heartbreaking defeat Sunday afternoon, losing to Northern Illinois by the score of 20-14. It was senior day for five UB seniors – Justin Farmer, Nick Flannery, Matt Dehney, Mike Soria and Gerard Mistretti.
Max Soria got the Bulls out of the gate quick at 125 pounds as he dominated his opponent, Nick Harrison, from the first whistle of the match until the final whistle. Soria produced a dominant major decision victory, 11-1. He recorded three takedowns, a three point near fall and a point for three minutes of riding time to give the Bulls the early 4-0 lead.
Wrestling for the last time in front of the home crowd at Alumni Arena, Justin Farmer did not disappoint, earning a decision victory by the score of 7-5. For the match, Farmer recorded two reversals and a takedown to defeat Derek Elmore. Farmer has now won back-to-back home duals and has 12 wins on the season.
The Bulls jumped out to the 11-0 lead just three matches into the dual as Flannery earned a major decision victory over Tyler Argue. Leading 5-1 after two periods, Flannery began to wear down his opponent, recording two more takedowns in the final period to pick up his team-leading 18th win of the season.
The Bulls dropped the next four matches as they fell behind 14-11 with the 184 pounders next on the mat. With the score knotted at one with under 10 seconds on the clock, Tony Lock electrified the crowd with a quick takedown at the buzzer to earn the Bulls the three points and tie the match score, 14-14.
Unfortunately for the Bulls, Angelo Malvestuto could not pick up any points as he was defeated by Shawn Scott by the score of 6-1 at 197 pounds.
In the final match of the afternoon, James Benjamin was outmatched by Jared Torrence, the #3 ranked wrestler in the MAC at 285 pounds. Benjamin lost to Torrence by the score of 7-4 after only producing four escapes for the match.
The Bulls will have a week off to prepare for the MAC Championships that will be held on Sunday, March 9 at Kent State.
Results:
125: Max Soria (BUF) won by major decision over Nick Harrison (NIU), 11-1
133: Justin Farmer (BUF) won by decision over Derek Elmore (NIU), 7-5
141: Nick Flannery (BUF) won by major decision over Tyler Argue (NIU), 11-3
149: Rob Jillard (NIU) won by decision over Ryan Todora (BUF), 6-4
157: Andrew Morse (NIU) won by decision over Wally Maziarz (BUF), 6-2
165: Sam Bennett (NIU) won by technical fall over Jake Campana (BUF), 15-0
174: Billy Chancey (NIU) won by decision over Rrok Ndokaj (BUF), 2-1
184: Tony Lock (BUF) won by decision over Caleb Busson (NIU), 3-1
197: Shawn Scott (NIU) won by decision over Angelo Malvestuto (BUF), 6-1
285: Jared Torrence (NIU) won by decision over James Benjamin (BUF), 7-4
