It took just two days for the excitement and energy to disintegrate for the Penn State wrestling team this weekend.

The atmosphere at Rec Hall on Friday night was electric. After the successful dedication of the new Lorenzo Wrestling Complex, alumni and fans alike filtered into Rec Hall to see the No. 8 Nittany Lions post a 23-12 victory over rival Lehigh.

Penn State (4-1) hoped to transfer the energy and success to its match yesterday afternoon against No. 5 Hofstra. The Pride had other plans, however, dominating the Lions 24-10.

"There was a lot of excitement from Friday, we had a day to travel, and this was our first long road trip," Penn State coach Troy Sunderland said. "We just didn't perform the way we needed to, but Hofstra did a great job. They're a solid team. This match will bring a lot of guys back to earth, to reality and to focus on the basics, and get better in each position."

Friday's matches left a lot of wrestlers with a huge boost of confidence, and a lot of positive things to build on. The most exciting moment of the match was redshirt freshman Dan Vallimont's 3-1 upset victory against No. 8 Trevor Chinn at the 149-pound weight class.

"That's just him breaking through," senior James Yonushonis said. "Everybody's got their shot. Everybody's got that one match where they finally break through. I'm really happy for Dan. He works really hard. He deserves it. Vallimont is a tough cookie."

No. 2 Yonushonis had a tough match himself on Friday against David Helfrich at the 174-pound weight class. Yonushonis kept everyone on their toes, only finishing off his opponent in the third period.

Yonushonis wasn't as lucky Sunday against No. 17 Alton Lucas of Hofstra. The grapplers entered the third period 1-1, but Lucas was able to record a takedown to hand the Lions' captain his first loss of the season, 3-2.

The unexpected loss was the third of the day in as many matches for the Lions. Hofstra dominated the beginning bouts, sweeping the first five matches. One of those matches being the upset of No. 1 Phil Davis at the 197-pound weight class. Davis dominated Lehigh's No. 16 Matt Cassidy on Friday with an injury default, but could not do the same with No. 6 Chris Weidman, with a 5-4 loss.

With Hofstra leading 17-0 after the Weidman upset, heavyweight No. 12 Aaron Anspach turned the momentum around for the Lions with an 18-6 major decision. Junior Mark McKnight, ranked No. 3 at his 125-pound weight class followed with a victory over No. 8 David Tomasette. At 133, No. 7 Jake Strayer continued the momentum switch for the Lions with his tenth win of the season. That would be where the rally ended for Penn State, leaving Hofstra to solidify its seventh straight win this season.

"[Hoftsra has] some solid kids at every weight and they beat our big guns," Sunderland said. "We'll work on some things, make some adjustments, and get back and fight another day."

Penn State will look to rebound on Friday against Lock Haven at home for a 7 p.m. dual. The Lions hold a 28-4 series edge over the Bald Eagles.

The energy may not have lasted the whole weekend, but the Lions will have an entire week to regain momentum and prove that they are capable of bouncing back.

"We'll be ready to execute that match on Friday night," Sunderland said. "To see what we're made of."