The Hofstra wrestling team fell to George Mason University on Friday, Feb. 22, at the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex. The Pride lost by the score of 28-9 and was down early after having to forfeit the match at 125 pounds due to star wrestler Dylan Ryder being injured.
After the forfeit, the next match at 133 pounds went to Talha Farooq from George Mason after he beat Jacob Martin by fall with just 39 seconds remaining.
“It took all the air out of everybody because everyone knew we were at least going to get a major in that match,” said head coach Dennis Papadatos.
Martin won this same matchup by the score of 15-2 just a month earlier.
“Frustrated,” Papadatos said. “That’s my immediate thought and I don’t like getting out-toughed and we definitely did today.”
Garrett Lambert picked up the first win for the team to get some points on the board after winning his bout at the 141-pound weight class. His win came off a 10-5 decision over George Mason’s Julio Alegria.
The team then began to falter as they proceeded to lose their next three bouts, one of them a costly sudden decision at the hands of George Mason’s Colston DiBlasi to the Pride’s Chris Mauriello.
Ricky Stamm and Trey Rogers went on to pick up victories in the next couple of matches for the Pride but it was not enough to overcome the losses from the seven other weight classes.
“They didn’t mentally prepare correctly and a lot of guys need to look in the mirror. You lose every [overtime match] and they’re close matches [which] means you got out toughed,” Papadatos said.
With the loss, the Pride falls to 6-14 on the season while George Mason moves up to 9-7.
Hofstra is looking forward to having Ryder completely healthy in order to perform big later in competition.
“He’ll be wrestling at EIWA’s. The plan is to be 100 percent,” Papadatos said. “I felt like he might have been able to go today but it just wasn’t worth it.”
The Pride look to bounce back starting Friday, March 8, as they head up to Binghamton University to compete at the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association Championships for two days. They hope to be at full strength and have a tougher mindset heading into the match to showcase the grit and mental fortitude Papadatos wants to see from his team.
Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics
