Utica, N.Y. – The SUNY Poly women's soccer team fell 5–0 to Nazareth University on Wednesday evening in Empire 8 play. Despite another impressive outing from goalkeeper Samantha Barrett, who tallied double-digit saves to keep the Wildcats competitive, Nazareth's persistent offensive pressure proved decisive. With the loss, SUNY Poly moves to 1–13–2 (0–9 Empire 8) on the season.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Nazareth wasted little time applying pressure, forcing Barrett into an early save just 90 seconds into the match on a shot from Carolina Lott-Diamond. Barrett was busy throughout the opening stretch, turning away multiple attempts from the Golden Flyers before Tatum Overton opened the scoring in the 9th minute to give Nazareth a 1–0 lead.

The Wildcats weathered an extended attacking spell from Nazareth, with Barrett recording a string of crucial saves against Overton, Lott-Diamond, and Shannon Sgombick to keep the deficit within reach. However, the visitors doubled their lead in the 43rd minute when Sgombick found the back of the net to make it 2–0 heading into halftime.

Nazareth extended its advantage shortly after the restart, as Giuliana Rodriguez struck in the 48th minute to make it 3–0. Barrett continued to battle in net, collecting several stops in the second half, including key saves on O'Connor, Neivel, and Bouquard.

Overton netted her second goal of the night in the 65th minute, and Camryn Schiavitti converted a penalty kick in the 83rd to close the scoring.

Offensively, Kara Mertz led the Wildcats with multiple attempts on goal, including a strong effort in the 75th minute that forced a save from Nazareth keeper Katriana Walls. SUNY Poly also earned several second-half corners but couldn't capitalize, ultimately losing by a score of 5-0. 

UP NEXT:

The Wildcats return home on Saturday, October 25th, for their final home game of the season against the SUNY Geneseo Knights at 1:00 P.M.