Albany, N.Y. – The SUNY Poly men's soccer team earned a strong 2–1 road victory over the Russell Sage College Gators. The Wildcats jumped out to a first-half lead behind a goal from Dominick Spychalski, then doubled their advantage with a second-half penalty from Nazim Harizi. With the win, the Wildcats move to 4-9-2 (2-5 Empire 8) on the season. 

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The opening minutes saw both sides trade early chances, with Elijah North forcing a save from Sage keeper Mateja Milutin in the third minute. Barth matched the effort moments later, stopping a shot from Peter Martillotta to keep the match scoreless.

SUNY Poly began to build momentum midway through the first half, earning multiple corner kicks and generating consistent pressure in the attacking third. Marcus Cole and Johnpaul Jerome both tested Milutin, but the breakthrough finally came in the 38th minute. Jerome threaded a pass through the Sage backline, setting up Spychalski, who slotted home the opening goal to give Poly a 1–0 lead. Barth made another key save before halftime to preserve the advantage heading into the break.

The Wildcats carried that energy into the second half. After several early looks from Cole and North, a foul inside the box awarded Poly a penalty in the 58th minute. Harizi calmly converted from the spot to double the lead to 2–0.

Sage responded with urgency, cutting the deficit in the 69th minute when Nafey scored off a feed from Anthony Geis. The hosts continued to press, but Barth stood tall between the posts, recording multiple saves down the stretch to keep Poly in front. The Wildcats managed possession well in the closing minutes, with late attempts from Spychalski and Colby Diamond narrowly missing the target as the clock wound down. The Wildcats would close out the game on top by a score of 2-1. 

UP NEXT: 

The Wildcats will look to make it three wins in a row on Saturday October 18th against the Houghton University Highlanders. The senior day match is scheduled for a 1:00 P.M. start,