Galli Sparks Comeback

TEMPE, Ariz. - A fall by Peter Galli at 174 pounds propelled No. 18 Stanford to a 20-15 victory over West Virginia, Saturday, at Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe, Arizona.

The Cardinal, which will wrestle Arizona State later today, moves to 8-2 on the year. Stanford won five of the 10 bouts, including major decisions by Joey McKenna and Jim Wilson.

West Virginia took an early 3-0 lead in the dual as No. 13 Zeke Moisey registered a 3-1 sudden victory decision over No. 18 Connor Schram at 125 pounds. Tied 1-1 in the overtime, Schram was in deep on a shot which Moisey was able to defend and ultimately turn into a takedown as time expired. 

After Brian Rossi dropped a 5-3 decision to Keegan Moore at 133 pounds, McKenna got the Cardinal on the board with a 10-0 major decision over Tony DeAngelo at 141 pounds. Ranked second nationally, McKenna tallied three takedowns, two near fall points, an escape and riding time in the win.

The Mountaineers pushed their lead to 13-4 after Zachary Moore posted a 10-5 decision over redshirt sophomore Tommy Pawelski at 149 pounds and No. 14 Dylan Cottrell recorded a 16-5 major decision against redshirt freshman Walker Dempsey at 157 pounds.

Wilson, ranked 18th at 165 pounds, cut into the West Virginia lead with a 13-4 major decision over Connor Flynn. After a review by the officials, Wilson was awarded two near fall points at the end of the third period, solidifying the major. West Virginia also challenged the call and eventually lost a team point after being hit with a unsportsman-like conduct call.

Trailing 12-8 in the dual, Galli came up with a fall in 4:30 over Ross Renzi at 174 pounds to give the Cardinal its first lead. It was the second pin of the year for the redshirt junior.

Redshirt sophomore Garet Krohn pushed the Stanford lead to 17-12 with a 3-2 decision at 184 pounds over Bubba Scheffel. Tied 2-2 going into the third period, Krohn elected to start down, putting himself in position to score the winning point with an escape.

West Virginia's Jacob Smith cut the Cardinal lead to 17-15 with a 7-0 decision over Michael Sojka at 197 pounds meaning the dual would be decided by the result of the heavyweight bout.

Redshirt sophomore Nathan Butler sealed the win for the Cardinal with an 8-1 decision over AJ Vizcarrondo at heavyweight. Tied 1-1 in the final period, Butler secured a takedown with about a minute left in the third. He tacked on four near fall points and 1:12 of riding time for the win.

Stanford will also face Arizona State on its trip to Tempe, later Saturday evening.

No. 18 Stanford 20, West Virginia 15