GREENSBORO, N.C. - VMI managed just two wins in falling, 32-7, to UNC Greensboro in a Southern Conference dual Saturday evening at Fleming Gymnasium, on campus at UNCG.
The Spartans improved to 6-7 on the year and 4-1 in the SoCon by winning eight of the first nine matches, including each of the first five. The Keydets fell to 5-7 overall and 1-2 in the league, as junior Josh Wine and senior Michael Long contributed VMI's lone wins on the night.
Beginning at 157 lbs., the Spartans jumped out to a 4-0 lead as Travis Sheehy won a 10-0 major decision over Matt Brock, while Victor Hojilla doubled that margin with his 10-2 win over Conor Black at 165 lbs. A close match at 174 lbs. turned quickly, as Byron Sigmon led 5-2 in the third period, but then pinned Evan Dill at the 5:43 mark to put UNCG up 14-0.
Another pin at 184 lbs. pushed the Spartans out to a 20-0 advantage, as Andrew Saunders needed just 2:46 to defeat Vinnie Gallo. A 9-2 decision from Ryan Sughrue over Ronnie Ellsworth capped UNCG's opening run, as his 197-pound win gave the hosts a 23-0 lead midway through the dual.
The Keydets got on the scoreboard at heavyweight, where Wine protected his perfect dual mark on the year while improving to 19-1 overall. He did so with a 6-1 defeat of Peter Sturgeon, improving to 9-0 against SoCon foes in his career, moving the team score to 23-3.
The Spartans put the match out of reach with three consecutive decisions. At 125 lbs., Eric Chandler scored a narrow, 2-0 win over John Pope, while at 133, Luke Todd dropped a 4-3 contest to Casey Boyle. Following Ivan Lopouchanski's 5-4 win on the riding time point over VMI's David Yost at 141 lbs., VMI was deducted one team point for unsportsmanlike conduct, bringing the team score to 32-2. In the final match, Long had three takedowns and three near falls as he scored a 16-0 technical fall over Matt Barbo at the 6:14 mark, accounting for the final margin, 32-7.
The Keydets have a quick turnaround, traveling to Boone, N.C. to take on Appalachian State in a SoCon dual on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m.
UNC Greensboro 32, VMI 7 (Feb. 13, 2010)
157: Travis Sheehy (UNCG) maj. dec. Matthew Brock (VMI), 10-0 (4-0 UNCG)
165: Victor Hojilla (UNCG) maj. dec. Conor Black (VMI), 10-2 (8-0 UNCG)
174: Byron Sigmon (UNCG) fall Evan Dill (VMI), 5:43 (14-0 UNCG)
184: Andrew Saunders (UNCG) fall Vincent Gallo (VMI), 2:46 (20-0 UNCG)
197: Ryan Sughrue (UNCG) dec. Ronald Ellsworth (VMI), 9-2 (23-0 UNCG)
285: Josh Wine (VMI) dec. Peter Sturgeon (UNCG), 6-1 (23-3 UNCG)
125: Eric Chandler (UNCG) dec. Johnathan Pope (VMI), 2-0 (26-3 UNCG)
133: Casey Boyle (UNCG) dec. Luke Todd (VMI), 4-3 (29-3 UNCG)
141: Ivan Lopouchanski (UNCG) dec. David Yost (VMI), 5-4 (32-2 UNCG)*
149: Mike Long (VMI) tech. fall Matt Barbo (UNCG), 16-0 at 6:14 (32-7 UNCG)
*VMI had one team point deducted due to unsportsmanlike conduct
