CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The Navy wrestling team (1-3) won three of the final four bouts and nearly erased an 11-point deficit, but came up short in a 20-18 loss to 21st-ranked North Carolina (2-0) on Saturday afternoon in Chapel Hill, N.C. Navy's late push featured wins over ranked opponents by Caedyn Ricciardi and Zyan Hall, while heavyweight Spencer Lanosga added a dominant major decision.
 
"It's really tough to win duals when you give up bonus points," said Navy head coach Cary Kolat. "Some of our guys are doing their job consistently and getting better each week. Ricciardi, Kaemen [Smith], Danny [Wask], Hall and Lanosga did their thing. They scored first and scoring first sets the tone. Those guys did that and won their bouts."
 
UNC opened the dual with back-to-back wins by ranked wrestlers. At 125 pounds, 19th-ranked Kysen Terukina used three takedowns and more than a minute of riding time to top Andrew Binni, 11-1. The Tar Heels extended their lead when 19th-ranked Ethan Oakley scored a late third-period takedown against Brendan Ferretti to win, 4-1, at 133 pounds to put North Carolina up 7-0.
 
Navy responded when Ricciardi, ranked 31st at 141 pounds, broke a scoreless bout with a late takedown in the third period to knock off 16th-ranked Luke Simcox by a 3-2 decision. Navy cut the Tar Heels' lead to one (7-6) when Smith stormed back from a 6-1 deficit with a pair of takedowns and over a minute of riding time to post a 9-6 win over UNC's Nate Askew.
 
North Carolina pushed its lead to 11 (17-6) with back-to-back bonus-point victories. Laird Root recorded a 12-3 major over Navy's Charlie Evans at 157 pounds, while 20th-ranked Bryce Hepner followed at 165 with a fall over Dylan Elmore in 3:53.
 
Sixth-ranked Danny Wask delivered Navy's biggest bonus-point win of the night at 174. Wask controlled the match that included three third-period takedowns en route to his first win by tech fall (17-2) this season and narrowed North Carolina's lead to six (17-11). The Tar Heels answered at 184, where Jake Dailey scored a late takedown to defeat Gage Yackee, 5-2.
 
Navy continued to fight back in the upper weights. At 197, Hall used two early takedowns to set the tone en route to securing his second victory over a ranked wrestler this season, an 8-4 decision over 29th-ranked Robert Platt.
 
Lanosga, ranked 12th at 285, closed the dual with a dominant 17-3 major over 26th-ranked Nolan Neves. Lanosga piled up four takedowns and more than a minute of riding time.
 
Up Next
Navy returns to the mat in three weeks when it travels to Las Vegas to compete in the annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. The two-day event will take place on Dec. 5-6 (Friday-Saturday) at the Westgate Hotel Paradise Event Center.
 
Navy vs. No. 21 North Carolina Match Results
North Carolina 20, Navy 18
125: #19 Kysen Terukina major Andrew Binni (NAVY), 11-1 // UNC 4, Navy 0
133: #19 Ethan Oakley dec Brendan Ferretti (NAVY), 4-1 // UNC 7, Navy 0
141: #31 Caedyn Ricciardi (NAVY) dec #16 Luke Simcox, 3-2 // UNC 7, Navy 3
149: Kaemen Smith (NAVY) dec Nate Askew, 9-6 // UNC 7, Navy 6
157: Laird Root major Charlie Evans (NAVY), 12-3 // UNC 11, Navy 6
165: #20 Bryce Hepner fall Dylan Elmore (NAVY) 3:53 // UNC 17, Navy 6
174: #6 Danny Wask (NAVY) tech fall Sabino Portella, 17-2 // UNC 17, Navy 11
184: Jake Dailey dec Gage Yackee (NAVY), 5-2 // UNC 20, Navy 11
197: Zyan Hall (NAVY) dec #29 Robert Platt, 8-4 // UNC 20, Navy 14
285: #12 Spencer Lanosga (NAVY) major #26 Nolan Neves, 17-3 // UNC 20, Navy 18