WORCESTER -- WPI's Ethan Edmondson (Milford, CT) and Joseph Tully (Carver, MA) tallied pins, Zachary Rioux (Nashua, NH) collected a bonus point victory and Tanner Thatcher (Blairstown, NJ) won a match-up of regionally-ranked wrestlers as the host Engineers flirted with an upset of No. 25 Springfield, falling 28-20 to the Pride in a New England Wrestling Association dual match Saturday afternoon in the Sports & Rec Center.
 
Springfield, ranked 25th in most recent National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Top 25, moves to 13-7 on the season, while the Crimson and Gray, who bested Western New England on Friday evening, sits at 6-10 overall.
 
The action started with perhaps the marquee match right out of the gates as a pair of regionally ranked wrestlers squared off at 125 pounds.   Thatcher, seventh in the latest NCAA Division III Northeast Regional rankings provided the home fans with some early excitement as he scored a thrilling 5-4 victory over the Pride's fourth-ranked 125-pounders.  Thatcher ran his season mark to an impressive 27-4.
 
Springfield then took control with consecutive falls from nationally ranked Gianni Manginelli (Dumont, NJ) and Ryan Kozdra (Mahwah, NJ).  Manginelli, slotted 11th in the NWCA rankings and third regionally, posted a pin 1:40 into his bout at 141 pounds and Kozdra, sixth in the region pinned his opponent 23 seconds into the second period at 149.  Ty Stewart (Dracut, MA) pushed the Pride advantage to 15-3 when he delivered a 5-0 shutout at 149 pounds.   
 
Rioux got WPI back into the win column in a big way at 157 pounds.  The junior moved over .500 on the season (14-13) with a 19-3 tech fall at 4:21.  It was Rioux's third tech fall of the season.
 
The region's third-ranked 165-pounder Myles Leonard (Waldwick, NJ) pushed the Springfield lead to 21-8 with a fall at 4:26.
 
The Engineers then turned to a pair of regionally-ranked grapplers to cut the Pride's advantage to just one point at 21-0.  Edmondson, who appears at eighth in most recent 165 pound ranking, moved to 22-10 with his seventh pin of the campaign at 4:12.  Tully, ranked four at 184, is now 22-4 in his rookie campaign notched team-best 13th fall at 2:43.
 
With the matchup within a single point with just two bouts remaining, third-ranked Casey Allen (Park Ridge, NJ) gave the Pride some breathing room when he tallied a 12-0 major decision at 197 pounds to extend the advantage to 25-20.  The guests secured the team victory as Ben Katz (Medford, NY), the region's eighth-ranked heavyweight, rallied from a second period deficit
 
WPI turns its attention to next Saturday as they welcome Rhode Island College to Worcester for a 5pm Spotlight match in Harrington Auditorium as part of Senior Night. Springfield is in action on Friday evening, entertaining Norwich inside Blake Arena beginning at 7pm.
 
Results