The road struggles continued Sunday for the Kent State wrestling team, as they suffered a 27-12 loss to the 15th-ranked Edinboro Fighting Scots.

The Flashes got off to a slow start in the meet when junior Del Vinas (125) dropped a hard fought battle, 2-1. In the next match, Mack McGuire, ranked 20th in the 133-pound class by the NCAA Coaches Panel, won in a major decision, 12-3.

The team dropped its next two matches, but that’s when junior Ian Miller (157) stepped in. Miller, ranked fourth in the 157-pound class according to NCAA.com, had a dominant outing, winning his bout by a technical fall, 17-2.

Following Miller, junior Tyler Buckwalter (165) continued that same success, edging out a 3-2 victory against his opponent.

After the early setback, the Flashes had fought back and tied the meet at 12 apiece after the sixth match. From that point on, however, the Fighting Scots defeated the Flashes in the final four matches.

“I think we gave a good effort out there today,” coach Jim Andrassy said. “We had our backs against the wall being without some of our starters. I think if we have our starters in, it’s a completely different match.”

The Flashes were without fifth-year senior Caleb Marsh, who is still out with broken ribs, and junior Cory Campbell, who underwent shoulder surgery Sunday.

Despite the loss, the Flashes still had plenty of positives to take away from the meet. Miller, Buckwalter and McGuire all went 2-0 on the weekend with wins against opponents at Ohio University and Edinboro, and Buckwalter extended his dual meet winning streak to nine.

The team’s record now stands at 6-8 and 2-1 in Mid-American Conference play, and the road doesn’t get any easier as the Flashes travel to face North Carolina State (11-4, 0-1 MAC) Saturday, Jan. 24.

Andrassy said it’s pivotal for the team to put this loss behind them and continue to move forward.

“The guys that won, they need to keep moving forward and keep doing the things that’s working for them,” Andrassy said. “As for the guys who loss, they need to figure out why they lost and move forward, so next time they can turn things around and get a victory.”

Contact Quentin Smith at [email protected].