The Pride (2-4-1) spotted Army a 6-0 lead after senior Lance Penhale received a forfeit at 125 pounds, before sophomore Travis Coffey, junior Casey Thome and Kyler each notched a major decision to stake the Black Knights to an 18-0 lead that proved insurmountable.
"The guys wrestled aggressively and we got off to a great start" said Army head coach Chuck Barbee. "We had a great week of practice so I just told our guys I wanted to see their intensity and determination exceed what (Hofstra) was going to have. They certainly did that. The guys are energized and hungry and are really looking forward to the rest of the season."
Coffey started the night with an 18-6 major decision opposite Jeff Rotella to even his record at 6-6 this season. Coffey nearly put Rotella on his back early in the first period, but settled for two takedowns and a pair of near falls to build a 10-3 lead. Following a scoreless second period, Coffey controlled Rotella for a reversal and three more takedowns on his way to the 12-point victory.
Thome improved to 6-3 with a 13-2 major decision against Luke Vaith (6-8). Thome started with a takedown on the edge of the mat 20 seconds into the bout and later earned three points for a near fall to lead 5-0. After Vaith got on the board with a reversal, Thome escaped to take a 6-2 first-period lead. Thome notched another takedown and another near fall to lead 10-2 heading into the third period where he sealed the win with another takedown and a point for having over five minutes in riding time advantage.
Kyler, ranked eighth nationally at 149 pounds, improved to 15-2 this season with a 15-4 victory over Tyler Banks. Kyler took Banks down twice in the first period and three more times in the second to build a 10-3 lead heading into the final period. Kyler scored a two-point reversal and earned one more takedown to go along with over four minutes of riding time to cruise to his team-leading 11th bonus point victory of the season.
Hofstra broke the scoreless streak with back-to-back decisions at 157 and 165. Nineteenth-ranked Jonny Bonilla-Bowman fended off an upset-minded freshman Dan Young to hold on for an 11-8 decision, before P.J. Gillespie shutout freshman Eric Gobin, 5-0, to cut into the Black Knight lead, 18-6.
However, another Army major decision by junior Jacob Vetter at 174 pounds all but sealed the match for the Black Knights. Vetter (5-5) took an early 5-1 lead on the heels of a takedown and a three-point near-fall, before two more takedowns contributed to the 12-4 final.
Hofstra's Ben Clymer earned a hard-fought 4-1 decision opposite freshman Collin Wittmeyer, but senior Richard Starks and junior Ryan Cook each tallied decisions to close the door on an Army win. Starks, who entered the week ranked 17th nationally at 197 pounds, defeated Anthony Tortora, 4-0, on the heels of a first-period takedown, an escape in the third and a 1:45 advantage in riding time to remain undefeated at 7-0 this season. Cook (6-6) made a nice move to take down Paul Snyder in the first sudden victory period of the heavyweight bout to break a 1-1 tie and finish the night off with a 3-1 Black Knight decision.
Army will return to action on Sunday when it hosts Rutgers, Boston University and Kings Point in a quad meet slated to kick off at 2:00 p.m. in Christl Arena. Fans will have the opportunity to watch all the action via the live webcast on www.goARMYsports.com, courtesy of ITT Knightvision.
Results:
125 - Lance Penhale (A) win by forfeit
133 - Travis Coffey (A) maj. Jeff Rotella, 18-6
141 - Casey Thome (A) maj. Luke Vaith, 13-2
149 - #8 Matt Kyler (A) maj. Tyler Banks, 15-4
157 - #19 Jonny Bonilla-Bowman (H) dec. Daniel Young, 11-8
165 - P.J. Gillespie (H) dec. Eric Gobin, 5-0
174 - Jacob Vetter (A) maj. Jon Rothman, 12-4
184 - Ben Clymer (H) dec. Collin Wittmeyer, 4-1
197 - #17 Richard Starks (A) dec. Anthony Tortora, 4-0
285 - Ryan Cook (A) dec. Paul Snyder, 3-1 (SV)
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