VESTAL, N.Y.- The Binghamton wrestling team dropped a tight 21-15 match to UPenn Saturday afternoon. The Bearcats won five bouts in the EIWA dual coming from Steven Bulzomi, Audey Ashkar, Dylan Caruana, Steve Schneider and Connor Calkins.

"We were lacking today in some tough moments," head coach Matt Dernlan said. "It really comes down to execution. We needed to stay committed, in those tough moments, to our fundamentals. That's what hurt us today."

UPenn came out of the gate at 174 where No. 13 Casey Kent won by pin over Anthony DePrez. Up 6-0 to start the dual, Binghamton aggressively responded.

No. 15 Steve Schneider stepped on the mat to face Joe Heyob at 184. Schneider recorded a takedown early in the first period and then another quickly at the start of the second. Heyob responded, earning multiple points for escapes but Schneider kept him at bay with a one-point lead. The junior took a 5-4 decision, his fifth-straight win, to put BU on the board. Schneider moves to 11-1 in EIWA matchups.
 
Going match for match, UPenn's No. 17 Frank Mattiace earned a bonus point win over Mark Tracy at 197. Connor Calkins (285) then topped Tyler Hall with a 9-5 decision, cutting UPenn's lead in half.
 
At 125, Steven Bulzomi wrestled a tight match against Jeremy Schwartz. Tied 0-0 after the first period, the sophomore attacked Schwartz, earning a takedown and two points for stalling. With his 4-2 decision win, Bulzomi tied the match at 9.
 
Audey Ashkar dominated at 133 as he recorded multiple takedowns and accumulated four points by near fall. The freshman just barely missed a bonus point win as Carl Antrassian earned a point for stalling with 20 seconds left in the third period. The 12-4 decision win gave Binghamton their first lead of the day, 12-9.
 
At 141, Dylan Caruana followed suit posting two takedowns and accumulating points by near fall in the first period. A.J. Vindici avoided pin by kick-out, but Caruana secured a 6-0 lead and over a minute and a half of ride time. Vindici fought back but Caruana kept the upperhand, taking a 9-4 decision.
 
Up 15-9 going into the 149 match, Parker Kropman fell behind early against Joe Oliva in the first period. Down 3-1, the freshman recorded a takedown in the second to tie it at 3, but Joe responded with an escape and quick reversal. Unable to turn the tables, Kropman fell 9-4 to Oliva.
 
With only two matches left, Tristan Rifanburg put up a hard fight against May Bethea. Down 7-6 with seconds to go in the third period, Rifanburg escaped to force the match into sudden victory. Unfortunately, Bethea recorded a takedown against Rifanburg around the 30 second mark, winning the match by 9-7 decision.
 
Coming down to the wire, Binghamton and UPenn were tied at 15 with one match to go. UPenn's Joe Velliquette gained the advantage early in the 165 match, pinning Jake Einbinder and ultimately winning the dual by a final score of 21-15.
 
"In our conference nothing comes easy," Dernlan said. "We've got to make some corrections here in the next few weeks to reverse some of these matches where we came up short. We have a big in-state rival coming up in Buffalo this week and we need to have one of our best efforts of the season come Friday night."
 
With tonight's match, the Bearcats fall to 8-6 overall and 8-4 in EIWA. UPenn moves to 5-6 overall and 3-5 in the conference.
 
Binghamton returns to the mat next Friday, February 17 against Buffalo. The match is set for a 7 p.m. start time at the West Gym.
 
FINAL RESULTS
 
174: #13 Casey Kent tech fall Anthony DePrez, 17-0 | Penn- 5 BU- 0
184: #15 Steve Schneider dec. Joe Heyob, 5-4 | Penn- 5 BU- 3
197: #17 Frank Mattiace MD Mark Tracy, 12-3 | Penn- 9 BU- 3
Hwt: Connor Calkins dec. Tyler Hall, 9-5 | Penn- 9 BU- 6
125: Steven Bulzomi dec. Jeremy Schwartz, 4-2 | Penn- 9 BU- 9
133: Audey Ashkar dec. Tristin DeVincenzo, 12-4 | BU- 12 Penn- 9
141: Dylan Caruana dec. A.J. Vindici, 9-4 | BU- 15 Penn- 9
149: Joe Oliva dec. Parker Kropman, 9-4 | BU- 15 Penn- 12
157: May Bethea dec. Tristan Rifanburg, SV-1 9-7 | BU- 15 Penn- 15
165: Joe Velliquette FALL Jake Einbinder, 4:56 | Penn- 21 BU- 15