Jan. 19, 2007
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The Purdue University wrestling team lost its second straight match on Friday night, falling to 14th-ranked Big Ten archrival Indiana University (IU), 25-12. IU remains undefeated on the year, improving to 10-0 overall and 1-0 in conference play, while Purdue falls to 10-2 (0-2 Big Ten).
Despite the loss, Purdue managed to win four of the 10 bouts on the day, including the first career Big Ten victories for 11th-ranked sophomore Jake Patacsil and freshmen Nick Bertucci and Justin Fraga. Fourteenth-ranked senior Nathan Moore captured the Boilers' final win of the day toppling freshman Nathan Everhart at 197 pounds.
The Hoosiers took the first two matches of the day as No. 9 freshman Angel Escobedo posted a technical-fall win over Purdue junior Brandon Tucker, 21-6, while sophomore Andrae Hernandez majored Purdue junior Sean Schmaltz, 12-1.
Bertucci put Purdue on the board at 141 pounds, stealing a 3-2 decision from freshman Nick Walpole. Neither grappler could get on the board in the opening frame, and it wasn't until a Bertucci escape at the start of the second period that anyone scored. Walpole took his first lead just under a minute into the second and the period ended with him leading, 2-1. After a neutral start to the third, the two rookies circled each other for the majority of the frame. However, Bertucci scored a single-leg takedown with just 30 ticks left on the clock and then rode Walpole the rest of the way for the win.
The drama continued at 149 pounds, where the bout between Patacsil and seventh-ranked freshman Matt Coughlin lived up to expectations. Coughlin jumped on top early, scoring a takedown at the 1:13-mark of the first. Patacsil escaped just nine seconds later, keeping the match close and returning the action to the feet. Patacsil chose the aggressive top position to start the second, but was unable to turn Coughlin through the entire two minutes as Coughlin defended his wrists, but couldn't escape Patacsil's vice-like grip. A neutral start opened the third frame, where the two battled on their feet for the entire period with neither able to take the other down and the bout was forced to overtime as Patacsil picked up the riding-time point. The first overtime period was a match of the third as neither wrestling could secure the sudden-victory takedown, however Patacsil gained the upper hand in the first half the tiebreaker, leaching on to Coughlin for the entire 30 seconds. He completed the win in the second 30 seconds, wriggling free from Coughlin's grasp and fending off his shots for the victory.
Purdue sophomore Jake Murphy fought tough most of the way against seventh-ranked junior Brandon Becker at 157 pounds, but found himself on the losing end of a 9-1 defeat. Fraga bounced back for the Boilermakers at 165, upsetting 11th-ranked junior Max Dean, 6-5. Fraga drew first blood in the match, grabbing Dean's left ankle and working behind for the takedown. However, Dean recovered, notching a pair of escapes and a takedown of his own to build a 4-2 lead midway through the second. Fraga escaped in the closing seconds of the period and then evened the count with another escape at the start of the third, but technically still trailed in the match due to Dean's almost two minutes of riding time. The two traded takedown attempts throughout most of the period, but Fraga secured both of Dean's ankles in the closing seconds and sprung on top to earn the win before the final horn.
With the score at 16-9 IU, with four matches remaining, Purdue still had life, but it was quickly dashed as the Hoosiers picked up an 8-3 decision at 174 pounds and a pinfall at 184 to go ahead 25-9 and seal the win.
Moore gave the Boilers one last bright spot on the day with his win at 197, riding out a voracious effort by Everhart, and true freshman David Pisarcik fell in the heavyweight bout to IU senior Josh Buuck, 11-4.
Purdue returns to Big Ten action next Friday at 7 p.m. as the Boilers host the fifth-ranked University of Iowa Hawkeyes in the Intercollegiate Athletic Facility.