The Minot State men’s wrestling team were in striking distance late of capturing their second conference win of the season, but Minnesota State Moorhead won the final two matches of the night to solidify a 27-17 victory over the Beavers on Saturday, Feb. 7.

Cole Faircloth recorded Minot State’s lone pin of the match, submitting Brody Toledo in 2 minutes, 40 seconds at 133 pounds. The Beavers won four of the 10 matches overall.

Trailing 20-6 through the first five matches, Minot State (5-11 overall, 1-7 NSIC) rallied with three consecutive victories to claw back to within 20-17. John Armstrong won a 6-5 decision over Jacob Reinardy at 165 pounds and Payton Wayman also won via decision, besting Edon Davis 12-7 at 184 pounds. In between those matches, Gavin Turk earned five points for the Beavers with a 17-2 technical fall over Damon Ferguson in 7:00.

The Dragons (6-8, 3-6) recovered and sealed the dual victory with victories in the final two matches. Wyatt Powell won a 15-8 decision over Shafer Ehmke, and Liam Babitt scored an 11-3 major decision against Braxton Rance.

Despite the loss, it was a more positive result than the dual the previous night, where the Beavers dropped a 52-0 decision to Northern State. The Wolves recorded five pins, three technical falls, a major decision and a decision. Ehmke wrestled the closest match of the night, falling to Ryan Hirschkorn in an 8-2 decision.

The Beavers host a pair of NSIC duals over the weekend, welcoming Augustana on Friday, Feb. 13, at 7 p.m. and Sioux Falls on Saturday, Feb. 14, at 2 p.m. at the MSU Dome.