After a strong showing in the New York State Collegiate Championships and a tough loss to Ohio, the wrestling team traveled to Kent, Ohio on Friday evening to face one of the Mid-American Conference's toughest foes.
The red-hot Golden Flashes (11-4, 4-0 MAC) welcomed Buffalo (5-13, 0-3 MAC) and weren't a gracious host. Kent State was able to jump out to an early lead, and it never looked back, taking the contest 26-9.
The Bulls, still looking to record their first victory in the MAC, became the latest victim of Kent State's eight-match winning streak.
Things went the home team's way early, as it took the first two matches. It wouldn't get any better when the Bulls' star senior took the mat. Kevin Smith dropped his contest with only seconds remaining. Smith held the lead until just before the buzzer. But a delayed call and conversation among the referees resulted in Smith losing the match, 4-3.
"It came down to a little scramble at the end, the buzzer ran out and the referee did not call a take down," said head coach Jim Beichner. "The second official came in and made the call and called it a takedown – pretty controversial finish."
Although the possible momentum change by a Smith victory was not to be, Beichner acknowledged the referees are never to be blamed for a defeat.
"You can't put yourself in a position to be like that; you can't leave it up to someone else to make a call," Beichner said. "We've got to be smarter and we have to find ways to win."
Having been named MAC player of the week two weeks prior, Smith's defeat Friday was a disappointing one. Regardless of the Bulls' frustrating season, Smith (25-7) has been able to seal his fate as one of Buffalo's all-time greats with over 100 career victories.
The hopeful replacement to Smith's absence after this season, freshman Jake Waste, continued to impress with another strong performance. He won his match 4-3, improving his record to 20-7 this season.
"He's doing really [well], he's going out there controlling the match and the pace," Beichner said. "He's just wrestling really well right now."
The performance by Waste was impressive but the Golden Flashes would not allow the upset to take place.
The Bulls made a strong counter after having lost their first four matches. A spark was provided by freshman Wally Maziarz, who won by decision, 3-2. Sophomore Clay Reeb and Waste followed up Maziarz's victory with back-to-back wins.
The Bulls' momentum wouldn't last long, though. Kent State would shortly grab control once again by winning the final three matches to take the contest.
Buffalo's key starter, junior Mark Lewandowski, did not participate in Friday's match due to a knee injury and was clearly missed, but Beichner was impressed with some of his younger wrestlers' performances.
"A few of the guys [wrestled] well tonight," Beichner said. "We have a tremendously young team and they're working hard and they're showing some improvement."
Kent State's dominance in the MAC is nothing to be overlooked. Its victory Friday earned a share of the MAC regular season championship, its third in the last four years.
With only a few weeks left until MAC Championships, the Bulls will take to the road again, traveling to Ypsilanti, Michigan to face Eastern Michigan (12-5, 2-1 MAC). The match will take place Wednesday, at 7 p.m.
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