Stanford Comes Up Short Against No. 17 Northwestern, 18-16

The Cardinal won five of the 10 bouts Sunday.

	Junior Nick Amuchastegui opened the 2010-11 season with a major decision win.

Nov. 7, 2010

STANFORD, Calif. - The Stanford wrestling team fell short, 18-16, against 17th-ranked Northwestern in its season opener, Sunday, in front of a packed house at Burnham Pavilion. The dual was originally scheduled to be outdoors at the Taube Tennis Center, but inclement weather in the Bay Area forced the teams indoors.

The dual began at 174 pounds. Stanford junior Nick Amuchastegui, ranked sixth nationally, registered a 14-2 major decision over Brian Roddy. The win gave the Cardinal an early 4-0 lead in the dual.

Stanford remained in the lead despite sophomore Spence Patrick's 4-0 loss to Northwestern's Aaron Jones at 184 pounds. Senior Zack Giesen, ranked 11th in the nation, increased the Cardinal's lead in the dual to 7-3. The Grants Pass, Ore., native posted a 13-8 decision over Marcus Shrewsbury.

Senior heavyweight Dylan Rush continued to register points for Stanford as he pulled out a 3-2 decision over the Wildcats' Ben Kuhar. The deciding factor in the bout was Rush's one point for riding time. Northwestern pulled within four of Stanford, 10-6, as second-ranked Brandon Precin edged the Cardinal's 125-pounder Ryan Mango, ranked 15th nationally, 5-4.

Redshirt sophomore Matt Sencenbaugh, wrestling at 133 pounds, registered a 5-2 decision over Bobby Joyce to put the Cardinal on top 13-6. However, Northwestern won the next three bouts to capture the lead, 18-13.

In the final bout of the dual, Stanford senior Lucas Espericueta needed a fall to give the Cardinal the victory. The 165-pounder failed to secure a pin, but recorded a 15-8 decision over Northwestern's Robert Kellogg.

Stanford hits the road next week as it travels to Bakersfield, Calif., for its Pac-10 Conference opener against the Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners. The squads will meet on Saturday, Nov. 13 at 4 p.m.

No. 17 Northwestern 18, Stanford 16
174: No. 6 Nick Amuchastegui (S) maj. dec. Brian Roddy (N), 14-2
184: Aaron Jones (N) dec. Spence Patrick (S), 4-3
197: No. 11 Zack Giesen (S) dec. Marcus Strewsbury (N), 13-8
HWT: Dylan Rush (S) dec. Ben Kuhar (N), 3-2
125: No. 2 Brandon Precin (N) dec. No. 15 Ryan Mango (S), 5-4
133: Matt Sencenbaugh (S) dec. Bobby Joyce (N), 5-2
141: Kaleb Friedley (N) maj. dec. Jordan Gray (S), 11-0
149: No. 10 Andrew Nadhir (N) maj. dec. Timmy Boone (S), 16-6
157: No. 8 Jason Welch (N) maj. dec. Mike Kent (S), 11-3
165: Lucas Espericueta (S) dec. Robert Kellogg (N), 15-8