In the early West Coast match-up, the Gophers squared off with the Titans of Cal State Fullerton for the first time since 1991. Even without the nationally-ranked brother duo of Dustin and C.P. Schlatter, the Gophers were able to win seven of 10 matches and collected two pins and three tech falls en route to the comfortable 21-point victory.
Third-ranked sophomore Jayson Ness continued his impressive run this season by pinning the Titans' Sean Roman-Marin in just 2:30 to start the early meet. Mack Reiter successfully followed up on his dramatic victory over Nebraska's Kenny Jordan Thursday night with an 18-2 technical fall against No. 14 T.J. Dillashaw at 133 pounds, and Manny Rivera gave the Gophers a 17-0 lead by pinning Teddy Astorga in 3:48 in the 141-pound match.
After freshman Luke Mellmer lost 8-1 while filling in for Dustin Schlatter at 149 pounds, Tyler Safratowich earned his second dual meet victory of the season as a replacement for the elder Schlatter (C.P.) at 157 pounds, needing just 6:17 to emerge with a 16-1 tech fall win over Devin Velasquez. Scott Glasser rebounded from two straight dual meet losses with a 13-2 major decision over Bryan Tice at 165 pounds, and Gabe Drestch followed that up with a 16-1 tech fall of his own.
Second-ranked Roger Kish squeaked out a 3-2 win over No. 14 Ian Murphy before the Gophers lost the final two matches of the meet at 197 pounds and heavyweight.
In a meet that did not get underway until after 9 p.m. Central time, the second half of Minnesota's doubleheader did not go as smoothly as the first. It was not until Justin Bronson's tight 3-2 decision over Arturo Basulto at 197 pounds that the Gophers guaranteed themselves a victory over the Mustangs of Cal Poly. Ness, Reiter, Glasser, Kish, Bronson and Ben Berhow won their individual matches as the Gophers were able to overcome surprising losses by Rivera and C.P. Schlatter to win their third dual meet in a row.
Ness pushed his record to a perfect 13-0 on the season by starting the Cal Poly meet off with a 10-1 major decision. The returning All-American sophomore has now scored bonus points in six of seven dual meets this year, including two pins and three major decisions.
After Reiter picked up his third straight dual meet victory with a 6-3 decision over No. 16 Filip Novachkov, eighth-ranked Chad Mendes was able to pin second-ranked Rivera in just 1:34. It was Rivera's first loss of the 2007-08 season in 13 matches and marked the first time he had been pinned since Jan. 29, 2006 (by then-No. 8 DeWitt Driscoll of Penn State). Rivera has been pinned just two times in 124 official collegiate matches.
After Luke Mellmer lost 11-6 at 149 pounds, the Mustangs' second upset of the meet came at the expense of No. 7 C.P. Schlatter. Cal Poly's No. 18 Chase Pami was able to gain a 4-2 win that gave the home school a 12-7 lead in the dual. But the Gophers rebounded with three straight wins – a Dretsch 13-1 major decision (174 pounds) sandwiched by decision victories from Glasser (6-4 at 165 pounds) and Kish (7-2 at 184 pounds) – to regain the lead at 17-12.
The Gophers needed a win from either Bronson (197 pounds) or Berhow (heavyweight) to avoid the upset, and Bronson quickly delivered with a hard-fought 3-2 decision over the Mustangs' Basulto. A second period escape and two warning points allowed the senior to eek out the close victory and guarantee Minnesota the team win. Berhow rounded out the meet with a 6-3 win over Jim Powers that saw him score five points in the final stanza.
An announced crowd of 1,227 came out to watch the defending national champions.
The Gophers now enjoy a three-week break from competition until they travel to Greensboro, N.C. Dec. 29-30 for the Southern Scuffle, an annual 32-team invitational tournament. This will be the third straight year the Gophers have competed in the event, as they were runners-up a year ago and finished first in 2005. Minnesota's next dual meet action will occur Jan. 12-13 as they seek to defend their 2007 National Duals title in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Minnesota's next home competition will take place Jan. 20 against South Dakota State at the Sports Pavilion.
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