With the weekend sweep, Lehigh has now won four consecutive duals to improve to 7-1 overall and 4-0 against EIWA opponents.
"A lot better action (compared to last night)," Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro said. "We were looking to score points the whole time. We had some gutty performances like Ben (Haas) winning his match in the third period despite falling behind 4-0 early. Everybody wrestled much better tonight. We looked sharper."
The featured bout of the dual was the first bout as eighth-ranked junior Darian Cruz met No. 16 Josh Terao at 125. Cruz led 4-0 after one period but was turned for four points early in the second period before scoring a reversal to go up 6-4. Cruz added to his lead with a third period takedown and a 3:27 riding time advantage gave him a 9-5 decision.
The lone win for American (3-4, 0-3 EIWA) came at 133 but the Mountain Hawks were mere seconds away from a potential shutout. After a scoreless first period, freshman Joe Lobeck turned AU senior Esteban Gomez-Rivera for two points while riding out the second period. Gomez-Rivera stormed back in the third, with a penalty point for stalling plus three takedowns, the last of which came in the final seconds to earn a 7-6 decision, tying the dual at 3-3.
Lehigh took control from there, winning the final eight bouts with the next three weights not decided until the third period.
At 141, senior Randy Cruz got back on the winning track, using takedowns in the first and third periods plus riding time to defeat Jack Mutchnik 6-0.
Sophomore Cortlandt Schuyler made his season dual debut as senior Laike Gardner was given the night off at 149. Schuyler broke open a scoreless match with an escape and takedown in the second period, and added two more takedowns in the third to defeat Michael Sprague 9-5.
Freshman Jordan Kutler fell just short of a major decision, using takedowns in each of the first two periods plus a 3:20 riding time advantage to defeat Cole Moseley 7-0, giving the Mountain Hawks a 12-3 lead at intermission.
After settling for four decisions in the first half of the dual, junior Drew Longo helped the Mountain Hawks create some separation, opening the second half of the dual with a 21-5 technical fall over Michael Eckhart at 165. Longo led 4-1 after one before putting up 13 second-period points to lead 17-5 after five minutes. A four-point near fall early in the third period ended the match in 5:13.
Sophomore Ryan Preisch also contributed a technical fall in his return to action at 174. He used a takedown, a two point near fall and a pair of three point near falls to lead Joe Salvi 14-0 after one. Preisch granted Salvi an escape to open the second then took him down to close out the 16-1 technical fall in 3:24. The win gave Lehigh a comfortable 22-3 lead with three bouts remaining.
"We needed that momentum," Santoro said. "We were so close. We were going for majors and not getting them. Those are things we have to work on for the end of the year, but the effort was there. It was better. We were trying to attack and trying to score points instead of hanging out and trying to coast."
At 184, freshman Kyle Gentile built an early lead with a first period takedown and then cemented his win with a third period score in a 5-3 decision over Jason Grimes.
Senior Ben Haas used a strong ride on top and a solid third period to rally for a 9-5 decision over Jeric Kasunic at 197. Kasunic scored an early takedown and two point near fall but Haas responded with reversals in the first and second periods to tie the match at 4-4.Haas took a 6-4 lead, winning a scramble for a third period takedown and added a two point near fall in the final seconds plus riding time to earn the victory.
The final bout of the dual saw Santoro rest senior Doug Vollaro and give freshman Christian Colucci his first dual meet appearance. Colucci scored takedowns in the first and third periods to hold off Brett Dempsey by a 6-4 score.
Lehigh finished with a commanding 23-4 edge in takedowns, with three of American's takedowns coming in the 133 pound bout. The Mountain Hawks improved to 7-0 all-time versus the Eagles.
"We have a lot of work to do," Santoro said. "We have to wrestle much better next weekend. We have to continue to improve with two really good teams coming in.
The Mountain Hawks will return home next weekend to open a three-match homestand, beginning with duals against EIWA rivals Penn and No. 7 Cornell. Lehigh will host Penn Friday at 7 p.m. and Cornell Saturday at 2 p.m. inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. The Cornell match is close to selling out but tickets for both duals are still available and can be purchased at LehighTickets.com or by calling 610-7LU-GAME during normal business hours.
Results:
125 – Darian Cruz (Lehigh) dec. Josh Terao (AU) 9-5
133 – Esteban Gomez-Rivera (AU) dec. Joe Lobeck (Lehigh) 7-6
141 – Randy Cruz (Lehigh) dec. Jack Mutchnik (AU) 6-0
149 – Cortlandt Schuyler (Lehigh) dec. Michael Sprague (AU) 9-5
157 – Jordan Kutler (Lehigh) dec. Cole Moseley (AU) 7-0
165 – Drew Longo (Lehigh) tech fall Michael Eckhart (AU) 21-6, 5:13
174 – Ryan Preisch (Lehigh) tech fall Joe Salvi (AU) 16-1, 3:24
184 – Kyle Gentile (Lehigh) dec. Jason Grimes (AU) 5-3
197 – Ben Haas (Lehigh) dec. Jeric Kasunic (AU) 9-5
285 – Christian Colucci (Lehigh) dec. Brett Dempsey (AU) 6-4
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