ERIE, Pa. -- Kutztown's rally from 12 points down came up just short Saturday afternoon, as 19th-ranked Mercyhurst held off the 11th-ranked Golden Bears, 19-16, at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center.

The result marked the end of a tough trip to the northwest tip of the state for the Maroon and Gold, where they suffered consecutive three-point setbacks to nationally-ranked No. 6 Gannon and the Lakers.

Kutztown (8-2, 3-2 PSAC) matched Mercyhurst in the win column, each team taking five weights, but a pin from Alexis Soriano at 141 and major decision by Max Stedford at 157 proved to be the difference in a match defined by close decisions.

The Golden Bears' only bonus points of the day came right away when Matt Wilde (Boyertown, Pa./Boyertown) posted an 18-9 major decision for his team-leading 18th win of the season. The Boyertown product was a takedown machine, registering eight, including three big ones in the third period to push the score into major territory.

Mercyhurst (10-5, 5-1 PSAC) got a jolt of momentum at 133 where Eric Bartos upset fourth-ranked Collin Wickramaratna (Marlton, N.J./Cherokee), 9-4. Wickramaratna tied the match at three with a reversal early in the second, but with the clock winding down in the period, Bartos countered with a reversal and two back points to take a 7-3 advantage.

Bartos' victory was the first of four for the Lakers. Soriano's pin at 141, a Mike Zacur decision at 149 and a Max Stedeford major at 157 accounted for 16 unanswered team points by the hosts.

Sean Smith (Carlisle, Pa./Carlisle), making his debut at 165 after spending the first three months of the season at 157, nearly turned the tide back in Kutztown's favor with a 6-5 decision over Michael Clark at 165 pounds. Smith trailed 2-1 after two and Clark chose the bottom to start the third, hoping to pick up a quick escape.

That turned out to be a costly decision as Smith rolled Clark to his back for a four-point nearfall. Clark closed the gap to 5-4 with a reversal and needed to ride out the period to force overtime, but Smith escaped with just under 40 seconds remaining to earn the decisive point.

Dillon Walker, ranked 11th at 174 by the NWCA, doubled up Ethan Baney (Hanover, Pa./South Western), 6-3, to restore the Lakers' 12-point lead, 19-7, before Kutztown won the final three weights.

Unfortunately for the Golden Bears, bonus points remained just out of reach.

Matthew Weinberg (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan) blanked Jason Breeden, 7-0, at 184, finishing a point shy of picking up a major. Brian Kennerly (Drexel Hill, Pa./Upper Darby) edged Hunter Harnish, 6-5, at 197 on the strength of a third-period escape and takedown.

Top-ranked Andrew Dunn Jr. (Bethlehem, Pa./Bethlehem Catholic), overcame a 7-6 deficit heading into the third against fellow All-American and fourth-ranked Jacob Robb in the heavyweight bout, securing a reversal, takedown and four-point nearfall in the final seconds to win 14-9.

Robb's ability to avoid Dunn Jr.'s bid for a pin in the nick of time prevented Kutztown from tying the match at 19 and likely taking the win on the fourth tiebreaking criteria, which would have reverted back to the first takedown of the dual from Wilde.

Kutztown will look to bounce back next Friday evening at Shippensburg and close out the dual season with Senior Night against East Stroudsburg, Wednesday, Feb. 16.

 

#11 KUTZTOWN AT #19 MERCYHURST SATURDAY, FEB. 5, 2022 | ERIE, PA. | MERCYHURST ATHLETIC CENTER
WT.	MATCH	KU	MER
125	Matt Wilde (KU) major dec. Jacob Ruggeri (MER), 18-9	4	0
133	Eric Bartos (MER) dec. #4 Collin Wickramaratna (KU), 9-4	4	3
141	Alexis Soriano (MER) pinned KJ Fenstermacher (KU), 6:25	4	9
149	Mike Zacur (MER) dec. Michael Cusick (KU), 9-5	4	12
157	Max Stedeford (MER) major dec. Kibwe McNair (KU), 12-2	4	16
165	Sean Smith (KU) dec. Michael Clark (MER), 6-5	7	16
174	#11 Dillon Walker (MER) dec. Ethan Baney (KU), 6-3	7	19
184	Matthew Weinberg (KU) dec. Jason Breeden (MER), 7-0	10	19
197	Brian Kennerly (KU) dec. Hunter Harnish (MER), 6-5	13	19
285	#1 Andrew Dunn Jr. (KU) dec. #4 Jacob Robb (MER), 14-9	16	19