The Hofstra University wrestling team was tied up after six matches as they battled Franklin & Marshall College (F&M) on Sunday, Feb. 2. With the score at 10-10, the Pride dug deep to earn bonus point victories, securing the 23-13 win over their Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) foe.
“We got the ‘W’, which was the important part, but we started a little slow,” said Hofstra head coach Jamie Franco. “They are pretty tough down low and our guys started a little sluggish, but I think about middle of the way, Noah Tapia, did a nice job to get us going, drive us, we kept the streak going a little bit and then, at 165 [pounds], it felt like we started firing on all cylinders.”
F&M came into the match after a 27-11 loss to Long Island University (LIU) just a few hours earlier but it didn’t stop them from getting off to a hot start.
At 125 pounds, F&M’s Jack Parker held Dylan Acevedo scoreless in his 4-0 victory. At 133 pounds, Chase Liardi gave a valiant effort for the Pride in his match against Mason Leiphart, though he ultimately fell short in the 9-7 loss. Trouble continued for the Pride as Jusin Hoyle was no match for Bryce Kresho, who leads all of Division I wrestling in wins this season. Kresho defeated Hoyle 11-10 for this 30th win of the season.
Tapia stepped up to turn the tide for the Pride at 149 pounds. The sophomore pushed ahead of Josh Hillard, earning the first takedown and another in the final 30 seconds to win by decision 7-3.
At 157 pounds, Jurius Clark kept the momentum for the Pride, winning a very narrow match 7-6 against Luke Bender, with a riding time point making the difference.
No. 32 Kyle Mosher pushed the pace in his match against Josh Palmucci, getting a five-point lead early in the first period off a take-down and near-fall points. Mosher completely overwhelmed Palmucci, earning a reversal, another takedown and a riding time point to win 11-1. Mosher’s win tied up the team score at 10-10.
At 174 pounds, Matthew Waddell started strong in his match earning the first takedown but fell behind as Nick Alvarez started his own offense to win 9-6.
No. 26 Ross McFarland, got the Pride back on track at 184 pounds in a dominant win over Leo Varga. McFarland went to work to earn a takedown and used a turn in the first period to earn his first seven points. A reversal and a couple sets of near fall points gave McFarland the 15-0 win by technical fall.
At 197 pounds, Nikolas Miller secured the Pride’s victory over the Diplomats, completely overwhelming RJ Moore. Miller delivered takedown after takedown to the win by technical fall 20-4, rendering F&M’s last attempt useless.
Ending the night at 285 pounds, Danny Church capitalized on opportunities in his match and beat Brody Kline 7-2.
The victory pushes the Pride to 6-5 overall and 3-1 in the EIWA. Hofstra stays on the island for more EIWA action as they face LIU on Monday, Feb. 10. Match time is set for 7 p.m.
