By Kevin Carroll - Staff Writer Friday the 13th was definitely not the Hofstra wrestling team’s lucky day, as the Pride hung tough in front of a hostile Philly crowd, and ultimately were unable to slay the Drexel Dragons, dropping a hard-fought match to Drexel by a score of 26-15.
The absence of Jamel Hudson and Jahlani Callender, two mainstays in the Pride lineup, took a toll on the Hofstra squad, as Drexel was able to pick up a forfeit and a technical fall at their two weight classes, padding a lead that would soon prove to be insurmountable for the Pride.
Hofstra did start things off on the right foot, as heavyweight sophomore Mike Hughes opened the match up against Drexel’s Joey Goodhart. Hughes was able to pick up the victory by decision, giving the Pride an early 3-0 advantage. That advantage would be short-lived, however, as the Dragons came right back, as Zack Fuentes tied things up with a win over Bryan Damon of the Pride at the 125 class. Nationally ranked Drexel sophomore Kevin Devoy pinned Travis Passaro at 133, and Hofstra was forced to forfeit the 141 class, to give Drexel a 15-3 lead, a lead that they would not relinquish for the rest of the match.
One bright spot in tonight’s match for the Pride was the return to the mat of Cody Ruggirello, who did not wrestle against Cornell last Saturday. Ruggirello showed no signs of rust, diving right into the mix, and coming away with a 7-2 victory, pulling the Pride three points closer to the Dragons. But instead of Callender at the 157 class, the Pride went with Cody Goshkagarian, who succumbed to a technical fall, giving Drexel five more points, stretching their lead to a commanding 20-6.
It was a battle of the Nicks at the 165 class, as Nick Terdick of the Pride grappled with Nick Elmer of the Dragons. In one of the most closely-contested bouts of the evening, it was Elmer able to eke out a 5-4 victory, earning the three points for Drexel in an incredible contest. Frank Affronti was able to get three points back for the Pride with a 2-0 victory, pulling the total score to 23-9 in favor of the Dragons.
With only two matches left, the Dragons had mathematically clinched the victory, but that didn’t stop either of the competitors in the remaining two matches from leaving it all out on the mat. At the 184, Hofstra’s Jermaine John picked up a pinfall in a physical, grueling match to bring the score to 23-15. Unfortunately, that was all she wrote for the Pride, as Mike Oxley fell to Brandon Litten, 3-1 in the 197 pound finale, and the Dragon fans in attendance for Spirit Night at the Daskalakis Center celebrated as their Drexel wrestling squad came away with a 26-15 victory.
The loss continues a recent skid for the Pride, as they have now lost three straight, and fall to 5-11, 3-6 in EIWA competition. With the win, Drexel improves to 8-10, with an impressive 5-1 EIWA record.
The Hofstra Pride wrestling team returns home to Hempstead for their final match before the conference tournament, as they clash with the Hokies of Virginia Tech, next Sunday the 22nd. That match will be held at noon, at the Mack Physical Education Center.