"What made me the most excited wasn't that I beat a good opponent, it was that I helped my team be closer to winning the dual meet against a good team," Sabatello said. "After that pin I was thinking immediately that it's six on the board so that's exciting when you can contribute to your teammates and to your coaches."
Going in as the underdog for a third time this season, Sabatello conquered the challenge yet again by pinning Soto in 5:22. The opening three minutes of action were hectic as Soto took Sabatello down, to which he responded with by reversing the Moc. Soto escaped and Sabatello took him down to hold a 4-3 edge at the end of the first period.
"He snaked a takedown, which I think made me a little upset and made me wrestle better," Sabatello explained. "That's what made me get the reversal right away."
The redshirt junior dominated on top with a ride out in the second period. After deferring to start the second, Sabatello chose to begin the final period on bottom. Seconds after the whistle blew, Soto threw his right leg around Sabatello. The Boilermaker got a hold of Soto's leg to create a scramble situation and rolled Soto onto his right side, hooked his arm behind the leg and got both of the shoulders square on the mat for the fall.
"I knew he was leg guy, so I knew he was throwing his legs in on top," Sabatello said. "I waited and I know I caught the leg, but after that I kept pressuring him and once I saw him on his back, I knew it was over."
The fall is the fourth of the season for Sabatello, who hails from Long Grove, Ill. He improved to 14-1 while extending his win streak to 13 straight and won his 10th consecutive dual match dating back to Feb. 7, 2014. Sabatello has had his armed raised at the end of all three matches he's had against higher ranked competitors to start the 2014-15 season.
"My confidence continues to keep going up, but I really can't let it get to my head at all," Sabatello said. "I need to have a short memory; Coach [Ersland] talks about that a lot."
Nick Lawrence pushed the Boilermakers lead to 9-4 with an 8-6 sudden victory decision of Mike Pongracz. The redshirt senior from Westlake, Ohio, moved to 13-5 overall and 6-2 in duals with his seventh decision of the season.
Chattanooga claimed a 13-7 decision at 149 pounds, but Purdue came back by taking the next three weights to build a 19-7 lead. Doug Welch (12-4) notched a 4-1 decision at 157 pounds, followed by a 10-0 blanking by Robinson over Jared Presley at 165.
The redshirt senior scored an escape, a takedown and a three-point nearfall in the second period and added a second takedown in the third period. Presely was twice called for stalling in the third, awarding a penalty point to Robinson and scoring was capped off with 1:22 of riding time. The Noblesville, Ind., native's major decision was his first of the season as he picked up his ninth win.
A 9-3 decision by Chad Welch ensued at 174 pounds. It was the fifth straight win for Welch as he improved to 12-6 overall and 5-2 in dual action during his redshirt junior campaign.
The Mocs claimed victory in the final three weight classes (184, 197, 285). They were also the victors at 125 and 149.
The Boilermakers will be back in action against North Carolina Saturday at Kell High School in Marietta, Ga., at 7 p.m. ET. Live results will be available via TrackWrestling and @PurdueWrestling.
Results:
125 // No. 19 Sean Boyle (Chattanooga) maj. dec. Aaron Assad (Purdue), 9-1
133 // No. 19 Danny Sabatello (Purdue) pinned No. 14 Nick Soto (Chattanooga), 5:22
141 // Nick Lawrence (Purdue) dec. Mike Pongracz (Chattanooga), 8-6 (SV1)
149 // Shawn Greevy (Chattanooga) dec. Brandon Nelsen (Purdue), 13-7
157 // Doug Welch (Purdue) dec. Austin Sams (Chattanooga), 4-1
165 // Pat Robinson (Purdue) maj. dec. Jared Presley (Chattanooga), 10-0
174 // Chad Welch (Purdue) dec. Levi Clemons (Chattanooga), 9-3
184 // McCoy Newburg (Chattanooga) dec. Tanner Lynde (Purdue), 9-6
197 // Scottie Boykin (Chattanooga) dec. No. 8 Braden Atwood (Purdue), 6-4 (SV1)
285 // Jared Johnson (Chattanooga) dec. Tyler Kral (Purdue), 5-1
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