Northwestern wrestler Jake Herbert lost an exhibition freestyle wrestling match at the Chicago Cup on Tuesday at Welsh-Ryan Arena after Bulgarian wrestler Mihail Ganev forced him out of bounds as the buzzer sounded.

The force out tied the score, but Ganev won the match because he scored last.

Herbert, the 2007 NCAA champion, lost the first period after Ganev trapped his leg and flipped him onto his back. But Herbert recovered in the second quarter, scoring a point on takedown when he flipped Ganev onto his back and put him completely on the mat.

Herbert, who received a redshirt this year to train for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, scored the first point in the decisive third period with a take down after nearly lifting Ganev into the air. But Ganev scored the decisive point, forcing Herbert out of bounds as time expired.

The United States wrestling team won the overall team Chicago Cup against Bulgaria 5-1, only losing to two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Armen Nazarian.

Nazarian defeated Willie Madison with two periods of a 6-0 score. He scored a five-point lift after escaping a clench in the first period and then scored a two-point lift and a three-point lift and takedown to clinch the match.

The U.S. women’s wrestling team also won the Chicago Cup, defeating Poland 3-2.

-Philip Rossman-Reich