EDINBORO, Pa. – The final on the scoreboard read Lehigh 20, Edinboro 13, but it felt much more like a win for the Edinboro wrestling team after the Fighting Scots rallied from a 10-0 deficit to battle the 11th-ranked Mountain Hawks on even terms. The loss dropped a young Edinboro team to 0-3, with all three losses to nationally-ranked teams. Lehigh improved to 3-0 while making their first visit to McComb Fieldhouse since the 1995-96 season.
 
"We need a lot of improvement, but I think we got better from last week," admitted head coach Tim Flynn. "They (Lehigh) have a really good team. We can get better and we're going through some growing pains." 
 
The match was capped by possibly the biggest win of Billy Miller's young career. The redshirt sophomore outlasted tenth-ranked Doug Vollaro of Lehigh, 4-2, in the second sudden victory session. "He manned up," grinned Flynn afterwards. Miller, ranked 17th, improved to 6-2, whole Vollaro tasted defeat for the first time at 5-1.
 
Giving away 40 pounds, the 17th-ranked Miller did just that. The two exchanged escapes in the second and third periods, and Miller nearly won the match with a takedown at the end of regulation, but it came after the horn.
 

Following a scoreless overtime period, the two remained tied following quick escapes in the 30-second tiebreakers to remain knotted at 2-2. In the second one-minute sudden victory period, Miller nearly took down Vollaro on a single-leg shot, with Vollaro attempting to counter, only to see Millers pin around for the winning takedown with 25 seconds left on the clock.
 
That match was one of three featuring two nationally-ranked wrestlers, with Edinboro prevailing in two of those. Patricio Lugo (6-2), ranked 13th, won a 4-0 decision over 11th-ranked Laike Gardner (4-2) at 149 lbs., while fourth-ranked Darian Cruz (6-0) used a big tiebreaker session to defeat 16th-ranked Sean Russell (5-2), 6-3, at 125 lbs.
 
Lugo used a four-point nearfall for the lone points in his match with Gardner, with it appearing that Lugo had the pin. The match was tied after one period. Gardner chose down to start the second, and Lugo was able to tilt him in the first 30 seconds for four points.
 
Russell and Cruz have not met on four occasions, with three going to overtime. Unfortunately for the Edinboro redshirt sophomore, Cruz, a former All-American, has won all four of the matches.
 
Cruz took a 2-0 lead with a takedown with 30 seconds left in the first period. Russell would quickly escape in the second period, then rode out Cruz in the third to pick up a point for riding time. Neither wrestler scored in the minute sudden victory period, but Cruz took a big lead in the first 30-second tiebreaker. He picked up a reversal with 11 seconds to go, and recorded two nearfall points at the buzzer for a 6-2 advantage. Russell was only able to manage an escape in the second 30-second period.
 
Lehigh would start the match with three wins before Patricio Lugo got Edinboro on the board. Scott Parker (4-0), ranked 18th at 133 lbs., won a 4-1 decision over Korbin Myers (6-4), followed by an 8-0 major decision for fifth-ranked Randy Cruz (6-0) over Ozzy Lugo (1-1). Cruz was an All-American a year ago.
 

The Mountain Hawks built the lead to 14-3 when 15th-ranked Jordan Kutler won an 8-0 major decision over Chase Delande (4-5) at 157 lbs.
 
Edinboro would win two of the next three matches to close to within 17-10. Austin Matthews, ranked 15th at 165 lbs., boosted his record to 5-2 with an 11-3 major decision over Drew Longo (0-2). The redshirt junior recorded three takedowns in the match, the first of the contest for Edinboro.
 
Ty Schoffstall got off to a 4-1 lead over 20th-ranked Ryan Preisch at 174 lbs. thanks to a pair of takedowns, but Preisch would rally for a takedown in each of the three periods for a 12-5 decision. Schoffstall is now 1-2, while Preisch improved to 6-0.
 
Freshman Dakota Geer improved to 6-1 with a 3-2 decision over Kyle Gentile (1-2) at 184 lbs. Geer recorded the lone takedown in the match with just under a minute to go in the first period, and an escape in the third period provided the winning point.
 
Dylan Reynolds (4-4) grabbed a quick 2-0 lead with a takedown at 197 lbs., but the redshirt freshman ultimately lost, 4-2, to Ben Haas (4-2) on a reversal, escape and riding time.
 
Edinboro returns to action December 2-3 at the Las Vegas Invitational.           
 
   
                                         
125         #4 Darian Cruz (LU) dec. #16 Sean Russell (EU) 6-3 tb                                     
133         #18 Scott Parker (LU) dec. Korbin Myers (EU) 4-1                                       
141         #5 Randy Cruz (LU) maj. dec. Ozzy Lugo (EU) 8-0                                            
149         #13 Patricio Lugo (EU) dec.  #11 Laike Gardner (LU) 4-0                                 
157         #15 Jordan Kutler (LU) maj. dec. Chase Delande (EU) 8-0                             
165         #15 Austin Matthews (EU) maj. dec. Drew Longo (LU) 11-3                          
174         #20 Ryan Preisch (LU) dec. Ty Schoffstall (EU) 12-5                                           
184         Dakota Geer (EU) dec. Ryan Gentile (LU) 3-2                                                       
197         Ben Haas (LU) dec. Dylan Reynolds (EU) 4-2                                                       
Hwt.      #17 Billy Miller (EU) dec. #10 Doug Vollaro 4-2 sv2  
                                         
Records:  Edinboro 0-3; Lehigh 3-0