Fairfax, VA -- Just two years ago, the Patriots fell to No. 22 Oregon State, 32-9, in its home opener. Tonight, the Patriots (1-1) fought to a 16-8 halftime lead, but the Beavers with several top-20 wrestlers earned the victory, 26-16 in the dual match held at the Recreation Athletic Complex.
 
"Oregon State is a very good team," said Head Coach Frank Beasley. "They fought hard up and down the lineup. I thought our guys fought really hard as well, but we are just lacking in a little bit of experience. We have a lot we can build off from this match."
 
After a random drawing it was determined the match would begin with the 141-pound match. 
 
Oregon State got on the board first, winning the first two matches. The Beavers' Grant Willits, ranked No. 19 by Intermat Wrestling, earned a technical fall against Mason freshman Lukasz Walendzak and Lane Stigell edge the Patriots Colston DiBlasi, 4-3 to take an 8-0 lead early in the match.
 
The Patriots powered back with three straight wins to go up 16-8, including a fall and two technical falls.
 
At 157, sophomore Kolby Ho had a technical fall against OSU's Logan Meek, 22-7, to cut the lead, 8-5. Meek is ranked No. 17 (149) on TrackWrestling. 
 
"Kolby is starting to come on strong and see how good he can be," said Beasley. "That's a huge win. To go out and tech fall anybody that is a top-20 wrestler in the country is a statement about the progress he has made."
 
Neil Schuster improved his record to 10-2 overall this season with a fall (2:15) against Aaron Olmos at 165. 
 
"Neil has been a staple of consistency this year for our line-up and it's really a credit the offseason he put in," added Beasley. "He focused this summer working on his areas of weakness, which is difficult to do. It's a frustrating process working on where you need to improve on, but he put in the work and is now seeing the fruits of those labors." 
 
Tony Lombardo (174) earned a technical fall over Colton Beisley, 17-1 (6:08) to give the Patriots their biggest lead of the night, 16-8.
 
"Tony continues to be a leader," said Beasley. "He attacks every match from every position, he gives everything he has every time. He wasn't feeling well tonight, but went out there with a chip on his shoulder to score points for the team because he's loves these guys."
 
Oregon State finished the match winning five straight bouts.
 
RESULTS
125 | Brandon Kaylor (OSU) over Talha Farooq (Mason), TF, 24-5 (5:20)
133 | Devan Turner (OSU) over Josh Jones (Mason), Dec., 5-0
141 | Grant Willits (OSU) over Lukasz Walendzak (Mason), TF 16-0 (0:41)
149 | Lane Stigall (OSU) over Colston DiBlasi (Mason), Dec., 4-3 
157 | Kolby Ho (Mason) over Logan Meek (OSU), TF, 22-7 (4:48)
165 | Neil Schuster (Mason) over Aaron Olmos (OSU) F, (2:15)    
174 | Anthony Lombardo (Mason) over Colton Beisley (OSU), TF, 17-1 (6:08)
184 | Colt Doyle (OSU) over Paul Pierce (Mason), Dec., 6-1
197 | J.J. Dixon (OSU) over Jeremy Seymour (Mason), MD, 13-3
285 | Jamarcus Grant (OSU) Jake Slinger (Mason), Dec. 7-4
 
UP NEXT
The Patriots will travel to Annapolis for the 2019 Navy Classic on Saturday to compete in a field of 17 teams across the country. 
 
2019 Navy Classic
Date:  Saturday, Nov. 23
Venue:  Wesley Brown Field House
Participating teams:  Air Force, American, Brown, Bucknell, Campbell, The Citadel, Cleveland State, Edinboro, George Mason, Kent State, Lock Haven, Michigan State, Navy, Ohio, Old Dominion, Rutgers, Virginia Tech
Tickets:  Free Admission
Live Scoring: FloArena