Mankato, Minn. – The No. 8 Minnesota State Mavericks would find themselves on the losing end of a dual for the second consecutive time on Friday night as they dropped a 22-12 decision against the No. 1 University of Nebraska-Omaha.
Minnesota State got out to an early 9-3 lead after the night’s first three matches courtesy of wins by senior Andy Forstner and sophomore Robby Fisher. Forstner (No. 4, 125-lbs) set the tone early for the Mavericks as he pinned Cody Tyler at the 2:40 mark giving MSU an early 6-0 advantage.
Fisher (141-lbs) would earn the Mavericks second victory as he came out victorious against Tim Chavez after a wild and entertaining third period. Fisher would earn a one-point escape from Chavez at the 6:50 mark to draw within one-point before earning a two-point takedown with just seven seconds remaining in the match to capture the lead and seal the victory. Fisher would earn a point of riding time giving him the 10-8 win by decision and increase the Maverick lead to 9-3 after three matches.
However, the Mavericks were only able to win one of the night’s final seven matches as they would eventually fall 22-12 against the nations top-ranked wrestlers.
Junior Aaron Norgren (No. 6, 184-lbs) was the only other Maverick to record a win as he was able to break a 1-1 tie with a takedown of the No. 3 ranked Aaron Denson with just seven seconds remaining in the match. Norgren would hold on as the final seconds ticked off the clock giving him the 3-1 win by decision which marks his 20th win of the season.
Junior Pat Mahan lost his first match since being ranked seventh in the 197-lb weight class as he dropped a 2-1 decision against No. 4 Matt Baker in sudden victory.
The loss marks the second consecutive defeat against a ranked opponent for the Mavericks as they dropped a 21-10 dual against No. 2 Augustana on January 28. The Mavericks now hold an 8-4 overall record while Nebraska-Omaha improves to 8-1.
The Mavericks will close out the home portion of their schedule next Friday as they are slated to take on Southwest Minnesota State in their final home dual of the season. Action is scheduled to begin at 7:00 pm at Bresnan Arena.
UN-Omaha 22 Minnesota State 12
125: #4 Forstner (MSU) fall Tyler 2:40
133: Cox (UNO) dec Demo 7-2
141: Fisher (MSU) dec Chavez 10-8
149: #1 Dominguez (UNO) md Westphal
157: #1 Ivanov (UNO) dec Todd 3-1
165: Sigman (UNO) dec Eichmann 5-3
174: #3 Pankoke (UNO) dec #6 Becker 10-4
184: #6 Norgren (MSU) dec #3 Denson 3-1
197: #4 Baker (UNO) dec #7 Mahan 2-1 sv
Hwt: #7 Escamilla (UNO) dec Haynes 3-2