Wrestling Drops Tough Decision to EIWA Foe Binghamton Saturday, 21-12

Saturday, January 27

Daskalakis Athletic Center

7 p.m.

Drexel University

Binghamton

Photo by: Kevin Rossi

Wrestling Drops Tough Decision to EIWA Foe Binghamton Saturday, 21-12

1/27/2018 8:56:00 PM | Wrestling

PHILADELPHIA – The Drexel wrestling team dropped a heartbreaker Saturday evening to EIWA foe Binghamton at the Daskalakis Athletic Center on Homecoming, 21-12. The Dragons drop to 8-3 (3-3 EIWA), while Binghamton improved to 8-4 (5-0 EIWA) after they beat Penn, 19-18, earlier in the day.

Binghamton grew its lead out to 18-7 with 197 and 285 pounds left to wrestle, leaving the Dragons needing two wins by fall for victory. After No. 16 Stephen Loiseau got to 15 points for a technical fall win before he could get the pin, the Dragons needed a pin at 285 to tie the score and take the match decision to criteria, but they would not get it.

Zack Fuentes opened the match with a 5-3 decision over Joe Nelson at 125 pounds to give the Dragons the early advantage. However, the Bearcats would come back and win decisions at 133, 141 and 149 pounds, wrestling a defensive style but taking advantage of opponent mistakes. Binghamton did not record a bonus-point win in the match. No. 24 Garett Hammond then broke through with an 11-3 major decision, taking full control of the match in the third period, over Tristan Rifanburg at 157 pounds to make it a 9-7 team score.

The Bearcats went on to outlast the Dragons at 165, 174 and 184 pounds to build out their lead. No. 29 Vincent DePrez came away with a 7-5 decision over No. 33 Ebed Jarrell at 165 pounds, despite Jarrell's best efforts late in the match. After Anthony Lombardo took a 6-1 decision from No. 24 Austin Rose at 174 pounds, No. 28 Alex DeCiantis could not get the much-needed takedown on No. 10 Steve Schneider as Schneider took a 4-0 decision at 184 pounds.

With the decision at 184 pounds, Binghamton held an 18-7 lead. That left the Dragons in need of two wins by fall to take the match. Loiseau gave it as good a run as he could, just barely missing out on a pin of Melikian at 197 pounds before he ran out of points and was forced to settle for the 15-0 tech fall win. After Loiseau's tech fall, the Dragons needed a win by fall at heavyweight to tie the overall match score – though the match would have gone to Binghamton on criteria. However, Vincenzo Pelusi was outlasted in tiebreaker No. 2 by Sean Dee, 5-4, as Binghamton took the match, 21-12.

The Dragons return to the mat next weekend with a couple of EIWA matchups. They open the weekend on Long Island for a visit to Hofstra on Saturday before welcoming No. 19 Rider to the DAC on Sunday afternoon.

Binghamton 21, Drexel 12,
125: Zack Fuentes (DU) DEC Joe Nelson (BU), 5-3
133: Jacob Nicholson (BU) DEC Chandler Olson (DU), 4-2
141: Joe Russ (BU) DEC Julian Flores (DU), 6-3
149: Frankie Garcia (BU) DEC No. 28 Trevor Elfvin (DU), 7-3
157: No. 24 Garett Hammond (DU) MAJ Tristan Rifanburg (BU), 11-3
165: No. 29 Vincent DePrez (BU) DEC No. 33 Ebed Jarrell (DU), 7-5
174: Anthony Lombardo (BU) DEC No. 24 Austin Rose (DU), 6-1
184: No. 10 Steve Schneider (BU) DEC No. 28 Alex DeCiantis (DU), 4-0
197: No. 16 Stephen Loiseau (DU) TF Alex Melikian (BU) 15-0 (4:43)
285: Sean Dee (BU) DEC Vincenzo Pelusi (DU), 5-4 (TB-2)

Attendance: 448