FAIRFIELD, Conn. - The Sacred Heart University wrestling team mounted a strong second-half rally on Thursday night inside the Pitt Center, winning three of the final six bouts before narrowly falling to Hofstra, 21–15. Following the setback, the Pioneers open EIWA play with a loss, while the Pride earn their first conference win. 
 
Final Score:
Hofstra 21 | Sacred Heart 15

Records:
Hofstra (1-2, 1-0 EIWA)
Sacred Heart (0-2, 0-1 EIWA)

Of Note:

• After the Pride opened with wins at 174, 184, and 197 to build a 10–0 lead, the momentum shifted when Brendan Gilchrist delivered a statement victory at heavyweight. The junior powered through a tight matchup before securing a fall at the 7:00 mark, cutting the deficit to 10–6 and igniting the Pioneer bench.
• Hofstra secured two more bouts at 125 and 133, but the Pioneers responded with their strongest stretch of the match.
• At 141, John Hildebrandt battled to a hard-earned 4–3 decision, getting SHU back on the board.
• The Pioneers kept rolling at 149, where Dakota Asuncion controlled the action from start to finish, posting a 7–2 win to shave the Pride's lead to 18–12.
• Sacred Heart's momentum continued at 157, as Felix Lettini stormed back in sudden victory, finishing a 4–1 overtime decision that pulled SHU within striking distance at 18–15.
• The dual came down to the final bout at 165, where AJ Falcone pushed Hofstra's Jake Slotnick to the final seconds in a tight 2–1 decision that sealed the result.

Individual Results:
174: Jurius Clark (HOF) def. Aidan Zarrella (SHU) by Decision, 4-1                                HOF, 3-0              
184: Matthew Waddell (HOF) def. Hunter Perez (SHU) by Major Decision, 14-5          HOF, 7-0
197: Will Conlon (HOF) def. Chris DeLena (SHU) in a Tiebreaker (2), 2-1                  HOF, 10-0
285: Brendan Gilchrist (SHU) def. Danny Church (HOF) by Fall (7:00)                         HOF, 10-6
125: Teague Strobel (HOF) def. Caden Smith (SHU) by Tech Fall, 17-1 (5:51)        HOF, 15-6
133: Gauge Shipp (HOF) def. Braxton Fries-Appello (SHU) by Decision, 1-0          HOF, 18-6
141: John Hildebrandt (SHU) def. Joe Sparacio (HOF) by Decision, 4-3                     HOF, 18-9
149: Dakota Asuncion (SHU) def. Zach Reilly (HOF) by Decision, 7-2                          HOF, 18-12
157: Felix Lettini (SHU) def. Frank Volpe (HOF) by Sudden Victory-1, 4-1                 HOF, 18-15
165: Jake Slotnick (HOF) def. AJ Falcone (SHU) by Decision, 2-1                                     HOF, 21-15

Up Next:
The Pioneers return to action on Saturday, Nov. 15, when they host Davidson inside the Pitt Center at 7PM.