Pivotal Moments Lead to Rally-Filled Win Over Dragons

MOORHEAD, Minn. (11/12/14)—Concordia rallied from a 7-0 deficit and beat MSU Moorhead 22-13 in the season-opening dual match of the season. The Cobbers also erased a 10-6 lead and then a 13-10 edge to come away with their fifth straight win over the Dragons.

Concordia won the final three individual matches in the dual and earned wins in six of the final eight matches. The team dual centered around four different individual bouts  - all of which went in the Cobbers' favor.

Concordia dropped the first two matches of the night and trailed 7-0 when All-American Jacoby Bergeron stepped on the mat in the 141-pound bout. The Cobbers desperately needed to get points and stop the Dragon energy. Bergeron methodically wore down his opponent to post a 6-5 victory. He used a near fall and then an escape in the third period to get the one-point win.  

Media Recaps

Fargo Forum Recap: Cobbers rally past Dragons on wrestling mat

WDAY-TV: Cobbers defeat Dragons on the mat

KVRR-TV: Concordia Wrestling Comes Back Against MSUM

The second pivotal match came in the very next bout at 149 where Cobber junior Chase Austvold stormed back from a 6-1 deficit in the first period to claim a 9-8 win. The deciding factor in the match was riding time where Austvold used a dominant third period to gather the time.

The Dragons then took two of the next three matches to grab a 13-10 lead. That set the stage for the Concordia "bigs" to earn the victory. Sebastian Gardner dueled his opponent at 184 through two scoreless periods and then came away with an escape, a takedown and riding points to record a 4-0 win. Gardner's victory tied the match at 13-13.

Sophomore Brandon Larson would put an exclamation point on the win by getting the only pin fall of the match. He was able to twist his opponent around when he was on all fours and put his back on the mat. Larson's pin at 1:43 gave the Cobbers their first lead of the night at 19-13.

Concordia heavyweight Justice Davis finished off the match by winning 6-1 in tie breaker overtime.

The other win of the night for the Cobbers was turned in by No.3-ranked Jake Krogstad at 165. He dominated his opponent in coming away with the other bonus point win of the night. He scored a major victory by winning 14-2.

Concordia will dual against Dakota Wesleyan on Friday, Nov. 14 and then host the annual Finn Grinaker Open on Saturday, Nov 22.

Final Score:
#6 Concordia-Moorhead 22, Minnesota State Moorhead 13
Date: November 12, 2014
Location: Moorhead, Minn.
Arena: Memorial Auditorium (Concordia)
Start Time: 7 p.m.
End Time: 8:40
Total Time: 1:40
Attendance: 342

Individual Match Results:                                                                            
125 – Shane Novak (MSUM) dec. Nate Humann (CC); 11-5 (MSU M 3-0)  
133 – Blake Bosch (MSUM) maj. dec. Will McCarthy (CC); 11-1 (MSU M 7-0)
141 – Jacoby Bergeron (CC) dec. Phillipe Walker (MSUM); 6-5 (MSU Moorhead 7-3)
149 – Chase Austvold (CC) dec. Isaac Novacek (MSUM); 9-8 (MSU Moorhead 7-6)    
157 – Garret Hoffner (MSUM) dec. Ben Cousins (CC); 5-3 (MSU Moorhead 10-6)
165 – Jake Krogstad (CC) maj. dec. Daniel Murakami (MSUM); 14-2 (Tied 10-10)
174 – Shawn Porter (MSUM) dec. Dan Marquette (CC); 11-7 (MSU Moorhead 13-10)
184 – Sebastian Gardner (CC) dec. Michael Joseph (MSUM); 4-0 (Tied 13-13)
197 – Brandon Larson (CC) pin fall Michael Urban (MSUM); 1:43 (Concordia 19-13)
285 – Justice Davis (CC) dec. Nader Abdullatif (MSUM); OT-TB1 6-1 (Concordia 22-13)

Match Notes:
- Concordia is ranked 6th in the NWCA Division III preseason poll.
- #6 Concordia is now 1-0 in dual meets this season.
- MSU Moorhead is now 0-1 in dual meets this season.
- Concordia won the final 3 individual bouts and 6 of the 10 in the match.
- Concordia won 4 bouts by decision, 1 by pin fall and 1 by major decision.
- MSU Moorhead won the first two individual matches and 4 of the first 7
- MSU Moorhead won 3 bouts by decision and 1 by major decision.
- No.7-ranked Jacoby Bergeron from Concordia is now 4-3 on the year. 

Matt Nagel Postmatch Interview