Starting the match at 157 pounds, Hofstra's eighth-ranked senior James Strouse (17-2) bounced back from a 5-3 first period deficit to post a 10-6 victory over PSU senior Nathan Galloway. Pride senior All-American Mike Patrovich (7-0), ranked third, overwhelmed sophomore Jason Lapham by tech fall, 18-2, at 165 pounds for a 8-0 lead.
At 174 pounds, Hofstra sophomore Alton Lucas, who cracked the top 20 rankings for the first time this week with a number 17 placement, posted a takedown with 53 seconds remaining in the third period to break a 1-1 tie and give him a 3-2 victory over second-ranked senior James Yonushonis. Lucas improved to 11-2 on the season. Pride junior Joe Rovelli, ranked seventh at 184, kept the momentum going with a 13-6 victory over sophomore Phil Bomberger. Rovelli (15-3) was down 5-0 to open the match but rallied to close the deficit to 5-4 at the end of the first period and then posted two near-falls in the second to build an 11-4 lead.
Hofstra senior All-American Chris Weidman, ranked sixth at 197 pounds, posted his second victory over a number one ranked wrestler in nine months with a 5-4 victory over junior Phil Davis on the riding time point. Weidman (13-1) entered the third period down 3-2 but posted a reversal to take a 4-3 lead. Davis picked up a point on a stall call after the Pride senior pulled Davis out of bounds. But Weidman had accumulated 2:14 in riding time for the win and a 17-0 lead at halftime.
Following the break, Penn State came back to post three straight victories to climb back into the match. Penn State's 12th-ranked senior Aaron Anspach posted a major decision over Pride graduate student Matt Pollock (8-9) 17-6 at 285. In a battle of top 10-ranked juniors, PSU's #3 Mark McKnight edged #8 Dave Tomasette (3-2), 5-2, at 125 pounds, and #7 Jake Strayer blanked Hofstra's 20th-ranked freshman Lou Ruggirello (14-4), 6-0 at 133, to close the gap to 17-10.
But Hofstra's 19th-ranked junior Charles Griffin (12-3) slammed the door on the Nittany Lions, bouncing back from a 5-3 deficit entering the third period, to post a 9-5 victory over junior Bryan Heller. Pride red-shirt freshman Mitch Smith (6-1) sealed the deal at 149 with a 16-5 major decision over freshman Dan Vallimont. Hofstra, which defeated Penn State for the first time in five attempts, will take some time off for semester examinations before returning to action to prepare for a January 6th match at Michigan.
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