Nov. 13, 2011
COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Purdue wrestling team opened its 2011-12 dual schedule with a 21-15 loss at ninth-ranked Missouri on Sunday at the Hearnes Center. The Boilermakers won four of the 10 bouts on the afternoon, including decision wins by seniors A.J. Kissel and Roger Vukobratovich.
The Tigers' win snapped a two-match win streak for the Boilermakers in the series, avenging upset losses from each of the past two seasons. Purdue still holds the all-time over Missouri, 14-9-1, and the Boilermakers are now 5-3 all-time in Columbia.
Things opened in Purdue's favor as fifth-ranked Missouri sophomore Alan Waters defaulted to Boilermaker sophomore Camden Eppert, giving the Old Gold and Black a 6-0 lead. The advantage nearly went to 9-0 at 133 pounds as Purdue senior Matt Fields had No. 15 Missouri junior Nathan McCormick on the ropes in a high scoring affair. Fields used some impressive mat work to hold a slight edge late in the match, but McCormick managed a takedown in the waning seconds to force overtime, where he won with another takedown, 14-12.
The Tigers knotted the team score at 141 pounds as senior Brandon Wiest topped Purdue junior Jake Fleckenstein, 3-2, but the Boilermakers regained the lead at 149 pounds as ninth-ranked Purdue junior Ivan Lopouchanski improved to 5-0 with a 5-3 decision over No. 13 Missouri sophomore Kyle Bradley.
The tide took a turn for the worse for the Boilermakers at 157 pounds, giving up four straight losses and allowing Missouri to establish a commanding lead. Freshman Drake Houdashelt topped Purdue junior Tommy Churchard at 157, 11-4, 13th-ranked sophomore Zach Toal defeated Boilermaker sophomore Kyle Mosier at 165, 7-4, sixth-ranked Missouri senior Dorian Henderson needed just 18 seconds to pin Boilermaker rookie Drake Stein, and Tiger junior Mike Larson defeated Purdue freshman Braden Atwood at 184 pounds, 6-1. When the dust settled the Tigers had built a 21-9 advantage on the team score.
The Boilermakers welcomed A.J. Kissel back to the lineup at 197 pounds, where the 13th-ranked senior took on Missouri's 11th-ranked junior Brent Haynes. Kissel took a 2-0 lead in the first period and never looked back in an impressive 7-2 victory in his season debut. However, the decision victory left Missouri ahead by nine, 21-12, putting the match out of reach for the Old Gold and Black.
Despite the team loss being decided, Vukobratovich took care of business at 285 pounds, downing Missouri freshman Devin Mellon, 6-4. Vukobratovich had a pair of takedowns in the victory, improving to 4-2 on the season and cutting the final margin to 21-15.
The Boilermakers return to action Friday, Nov. 18, at 7 p.m., hosting Indianapolis in the home-opener at Holloway Gymnasium.
Purdue 15 - #9 Missouri 21
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Hearnes Center - Columbia, Mo.
125: Camden Eppert (PU) wins by default (PU 6 - MU 0)
133: #15 Nathan McCormick (MU) defeats Matt Fields (PU), SV 14-12 (PU 6 - MU 3)
141: Brandon Wiest (MU) defeats Jake Fleckenstein (PU), D 3-2 (PU 6 - MU 6)
149: #9 Ivan Lopouchanski (PU) defeats #13 Kyle Bradley (MU ), D 5-3 (PU 9 - MU 6)
157: Drake Houdashelt (MU) defeats Tommy Churchard (PU), D 11-4 (PU 9 - MU 9)
165: #13 Zach Toal (MU) defeats Kyle Mosier (PU), D 7-4 (PU 9 - MU 12)
174: #6 Dorian Henderson (MU) defeats Drake Stein (PU), Fall 0:18 (PU 9 - MU 18)
184: Mike Larson (MU) defeats Braden Atwood (PU), D 6-1 (PU 9 - MU 21)
197: #13 A.J. Kissel (PU) defeats #11 Brent Haynes (MU), D 7-2 (PU 12 - MU 21)
285: Roger Vukobratovich (PU) defeats Devon Mellon (MU), D 6-4 (PU 15 - MU 21)