PISCATAWAY, N.J. – No. 13 Rutgers wrestling (10-3, 3-2) lost a tough 20-12 dual to No. 9 Minnesota (6-2, 1-2) on Saturday afternoon in front of 3,438 fans at Jersey Mike's Arena. RU picked up four ranked wins against the Gophers, which included decisions from No. 7 Yaraslau Slavikouski (HWT), No. 13 Jackson Turley (174) No. 16 Dean Peterson and No. 20 Mitch Moore (141).

Eight of the 10 bouts were decided by three points or less, with the Gophers picking up overtime victories at 133 and 197 pounds en route to the dual win. Minnesota - who checked in at No. 9 in this week's NWCA Coaches Poll - is the second of four consecutive top-12 opponents RU will face in the coming weeks, along with No. 1 Penn State, No. 7 Ohio State and No. 11 Michigan.

"It was a good match but we came up on the short end of a lot of those matches and overtime matches," said head coach Scott Goodale. "That is clearly the difference. We got upset at two or three weights. That is the difference in a duel."

With an non-traditional start at 141 pounds, Moore opened against No. 21 Vance VomBauer, using a takedown late in the third period to secure the 4-1 decision. Minnesota picked up the next three matches to take an 11-3 lead before Turley faced two-time NCAA qualifier Andrew Sparks. Turley landed two takedowns on Sparks and fended off a late comeback attempt for the 7-4 final, as Rutgers headed into the break trailing just 11-6.

Upsets at 184 and 197 followed for Rutgers, with previously undefeated No. 9 John Poznanski losing a tough 4-1 decision in overtime to No. 24 Garett Joles. Joles' overtime victory gave Minnesota a 17-6 advantage with three bouts to go.

Rutgers muscled back-to-back decisions from Slavikouski and Peterson. Slavikouski landed two takedowns on No. 29 Bennett Tabor for an 8-2 decision, while Peterson also produced two takedowns in his 6-4 decision over No. 11 Patrick McKee - a two-time All-American.

Trailing just 17-12 heading into the final bout of the afternoon, the Scarlet Knights needed a tech fall for a chance to win the dual. However, a loss from No. 8 Dylan Shawver (133) in overtime to No. 26 Tyler Wells sealed the dual for Minnesota.
  
Box Score
No. 9 Minnesota 20, No. 13 Rutgers 12
141: 20/15 Mitch Moore (RU) over 21/23 Vance VomBauer (MINN) by dec., 4-1; RU leads, 3-0
149: 13/NR Drew Roberts (MINN) over Michael Cetta (RU) by dec., 3-0; dual tied, 3-3
157: 6/6 Michael Blockhus (MINN) over Al DeSantis (RU) by TF, 18-3 (7:00); MINN leads, 8-3
165: 29/NR Blaine Benner (MINN) over Luke Gayer (RU) by dec., 2-0; MINN leads, 11-3
174: 13/17 Jackson Turley (RU) over NR/20 Andrew Sparks (MINN) by dec., 7-4; MINN leads, 11-6
184: Max McEnelly (MINN) over 22/24 Brian Soldano (RU) by dec., 4-2; MINN leads, 14-6
197: 24/26 Garrett Joles (MINN)  over 9/11 John Poznanski (RU) by SV1, 4-1; MINN leads, 17-6
HWT: 7/7 Yaraslau Slavikouski (RU) over 29/33 Bennett Tabor (MINN) by dec., 8-2; MINN leads, 17-9
125: 16/20 Dean Peterson (RU) over 11/14 Patrick McKee (MINN) by dec., 6-4; MINN leads, 17-12
133: 26/23 Tyler Wells (MINN) over 8/11 Dylan Shawver (RU) by SV1, 5-2; MINN wins, 20-12
 
Up Next
Rutgers hosts No. 7 Ohio State on Sunday, February 4 at Jersey Mike's Arena. The dual is set for 1 p.m. and will stream on Big Ten Plus.