ERIE, Pa. – The Penn State Behrend wrestling team was three points shy of winning their home opener against Thiel, falling 23-21 on Wednesday night in a packed Erie Hall.
The two teams each tallied five wins, the first three belonging to the Tomcats for a quick 13-0 lead and the final three wins going to the Lions (0-1). Jacob Ognibene (Washington, PA/Chartiers-Houston) got Behrend on the board at 149.
The freshman tallied his first win of the season with a 16-6 major decision over Vincent Mion to cut the Thiel lead to 13-4. After the first period, Ognibene had a 9-3 lead and added four more points in the second with two escapes and a takedown. He added another takedown in the third along with a point for riding time for a 16-6 victory.
The Tomcats managed to get a pin at 157, before Sam Svetz (North East, PA/North East) posted a 9-2 decision over John Sims to make it 19-7 in favor of the Tomcats. Svetz posted his second win this year, earning his most points in the third period with a nearfall for four points and riding time for another to make it 9-2.
Dominic Farabaugh from Thiel collected a major decision win at 184 to increase the lead to 16 points at 23-7 but those would be the final points by the Tomcats on the night.
Senior Jacob Parsons (Titusville, PA/Maplewood) recorded his team-leading fourth fall in 3:15. With a small 2-0 lead after the opening period, he only need 15 seconds in the second to get Cam Cianci down to the mat for the pin and six points added to the Behrend score at 23-13.
At 197, Jacob Paulson (Erie, PA/McDowell) took a commanding 12-4 lead after the first period. He held a 6-1 advantage in the second and then got back points in the third to stop the match with a 23-6 technical fall over Tyler Brooks.
The Lions need a technical fall to tie and a pin to win with only heavyweight bout remaining. Jacob Lenhardt (McKean, PA/General McLane) shut out Gavin Colligan 5-0 for his team-leading sixth win of the season. The three points put Behrend just short of its first dual-meet win.
The Lions return to action on Sunday at John Carroll. Match time is 10 a.m.
