West Virginia Falls at Edinboro

By Amy Salvatore
February 15, 2018

EDINBORO, Pa. – Redshirt freshman Kyler Rea earned his third straight victory of the season, as the West Virginia University wrestling team fell to Edinboro, 21-15, in its final road dual of the season on Thursday evening, at the McComb Fieldhouse, in Edinboro, Pennsylvania.

The Mountaineers fall to 5-7 on the year, while the Fighting Scots move to 7-5 overall.

Starting at 125 pounds, redshirt junior Zeke Moisey, ranked 14th nationally, gave up a late takedown in sudden victory to No. 10 Sean Russell, dropping his first match since Jan. 19. With the score knotted at 3-3 after one, Moisey elected to start on bottom in the second. He then earned the second-period escape for the 4-3 lead into the final frame, but Russell notched an escape of his own to tie the match at 4-4 at the end of regulation. With 26 seconds left in sudden victory, Russell scored the first takedown to claim the 6-4 decision over Moisey.

Edinboro quickly took a 6-0 lead over West Virginia, as redshirt freshman Matthew Schmitt dropped a 6-0 decision to No. 17 Korbin Myers at 133 pounds.

Junior Christian Monserrat put the Mountaineers on the scoreboard with a hard-fought 2-1 decision over Nate Hagan at 141 pounds. Monserrat squared off against Hagan for the second time this season, as the two first met at the Midlands Championships back in December, with Monserrat claiming the 7-2 victory. Following a scoreless first period, Monserrat chose to start in the defensive position, earning the escape to take a 1-0 lead into the final frame. Hagan collected a penalty point in the third, but it didn't stop Monserrat from claiming the victory, as he rode Hagan through the period to pick up his 16th win of the season.

Rea tied the team score at 6-6 with a 4-1 decision over Jensen Lorea at 149 pounds. Rea scored a quick takedown in the first period for the 2-1 advantage heading into the second stanza. He then pushed his lead to 3-1 with a second-period escape. Though neither wrestler scored in the third, Rea had control of the match and claimed the riding time point for the 4-1 victory.

With the team scored tied at 6-all, the Mountaineers dropped three consecutive matches, including bonus-point victories at 157 and 174 pounds, respectively, to give the Fighting Scots an 18-6 advantage in the match.

At 184 pounds, freshman Brenden McRill picked up a 5-0 decision over Zach Ancewicz. McRill notched a pair of takedowns in the match, tacking on the riding time point for the 5-0 win. Edinboro then took a forfeit at 197 pounds to bring the Mountaineers within three, down 18-15.

All eyes turned to the heavyweight bout for the second time this season, as sophomore Brandon Ngati went head-to-head with No. 14 Billy Miller in the final bout of the evening. However, the Mountaineers could not sustain another comeback, as Ngati dropped a 4-0 decision to Miller, giving Edinboro the 21-15 win.

Looking ahead, the Mountaineers return home in three days for the always popular Beauty and the Beast Meet on Sunday, Feb. 18, set to start at 2 p.m. The squad will compete against Clarion, as the Mountaineer gymnastic team squares off against Pitt and Maryland. It is the home season finale for both programs, and the senior wrestlers (Parker VonEgidy and Jacob A. Smith) and gymnasts will be honored following the competition.

The Mountaineer Fan Festival also will be held Sunday prior to the start of competition. The Coliseum Gold Gate will open at 12:30 p.m., and one ticket will grant fans admittance into both events. Tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for youths and senior citizens and $2 for groups of 10 or more. WVU students are admitted free with a valid WVU Student I.D. Tickets are on sale now at WVUGAME.com and will be available for purchase at the Coliseum Ticket Office on Feb. 18.

For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUWrestling on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Edinboro 21, West Virginia 15
125: No. 14/10/12 Sean Russell (Edinboro) dec. No. 15/14/14 Zeke Moisey (WVU), 6-4 [SV-1]
133: No. 18/17/12 Korbin Myers (Edinboro) dec. Matthew Schmitt (WVU), 6-0
141: Christian Monserrat (WVU) dec. Nate Hagan (Edinboro), 2-1
149: Kyler Rea (WVU) dec. Jensen Lorea (Edinboro), 4-1
157: No. 20/-/- Andrew Shomers (Edinboro) tech. fall Hunter Jones (WVU), 16-0 [TF-3:26]
165: Fritz Hoehn (Edinboro) dec. Nick Kiussis (WVU), 6-4
174: Ty Schoffstall (Edinboro) major dec. Parker VonEgidy (WVU), 12-4
184: Brenden McRill (WVU) dec. Zach Ancewicz (Edinboro), 5-0
197: No. -/18/- Jacob A. Smith (WVU) wins by forfeit
285: No. 19/14/13 Billy Miller (Edinboro) dec. Brandon Ngati (WVU), 4-0

*Rankings are listed as followed: FloWrestling/Intermat/The Open Mat*

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