Fairfield, CT - Hofstra won five of the first six bouts to build an 18-6 lead and then held off a Sacred Heart rally to post a 21-15 EIWA victory Thursday night at the William H. Pitt Athletic and Convocation Center. Jake Slotnick's victory in the final bout of the night, at 165 pounds, secured the Pride's win. 

Hofstra moved to 1-2 on the season and 1-0 in conference action. Sacred Heart is 0-2 overall and 0-1 in the EIWA. 

Jurius Clark started the match with a 4-2 victory over Aidan Zarrella at 174 pounds. Matthew Waddell followed with a 15-6 major decision over Hunter Perez at 184 pounds. Will Conlon built the Hofstra lead to 10-0 with a 2-1 tiebreaker win at 197 pounds. 

The Pioneers got on the board with a win by fall at 285 pounds to cut the Hofstra lead to four, 10-6. Teague Strobel posted a dominating 17-1 tech fall over Caden Smith at 125 pounds to push the lead back to nine, 15-6. Gauge Shipp won a 1-0 decision over Braxton Fries-Appello at 133, getting the riding time point after picking up four minutes of riding time. 

Sacred Heart won three straight decisions at 141, 149, and 157 pounds to make it a three-point match heading into the final bout. Slotnick then closed out the victory with a 2-1 win over AJ Falcone at 165. Slotnick got a first period stalling point and an escape to open the second period before holding off Falcone's comeback attempt in the third period. 

Hofstra returns to action Sunday, hosting Columbia in the home opener at the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex. The match is also Hofstra's alumni day. 

Hofstra 21, Sacred Heart 15
174: Jurius Clark (Hofstra) dec. Aidan Zarrella (Sacred Heart), 4-2 (3-0)
184: Matthew Waddell (Hofstra) major dec. Hunter Perez (Sacred Heart), 15-6 (7-0)
197: Will Conlon (Hofstra) dec. Chris DeLena (Sacred Heart), 2-1 (TB-2) (10-0) 
285: Brendan Gilchrist (Sacred Heart) wbf. Danny Church (Hofstra), 6:55 (10-6)
125: Teague Strobel (Hofstra) tech fall Caden Smith (Sacred Heart), 17-1 (5:51) (15-6)
133: Gauge Shipp (Hofstra) dec. Braxton Fries-Appello (Sacred Heart), 1-0 (18-6) 
141: Tyler Hildebrandt (Sacred Heart) dec. Joe Sparacio (Hofstra), 4-3 (18-9)
149: Dakota Asuncion (Sacred Heart) dec. Zach Reilley (Hofstra), 7-2 (18-12)
157: Felix Lettini (Sacred Heart) dec. Frank Volpe (Hofstra), 4-1 (SV) (18-15)
165: Jake Slotnick (Hofstra) dec. AJ Falcone (Sacred Heart), 2-1 (21-15)

Notes:
-Hofstra is 16-0 all-time against Sacred Heart. 
-Waddell has won five consecutive matches.
-Clark and Strobel each have three-match win streaks.