North Adams, M.A. - The SUNY Poly women's soccer team battled back from an early two-goal deficit to earn a 2-2 draw against the MCLA Trailblazers. The Wildcats showed resilience throughout the contest, with goals from Kara Mertz and Abigail Hughes bringing the team level before halftime. Goalkeeper Samantha Barrett anchored the defense with a strong performance, recording multiple key saves to preserve the result.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

MCLA struck first in the 12th minute when Kylie DeMaio capitalized on a setup from Tia Kareh to put the Trailblazers up 1-0. Just over ten minutes later, DeMaio added her second of the match, finishing off a feed from Gwendolyn Duggan to double the MCLA advantage.

SUNY Poly found its footing midway through the half and began generating consistent offensive pressure. In the 31st minute, Mertz got the Wildcats on the board, finishing a pass from Madison Altamura for her fourth goal of the season. The equalizer came less than ten minutes later, when Hughes buried a shot off a sequence involving Brooke Bush and Aubree Smykla, knotting the score at 2-2 heading into the break.

The second half proved to be a defensive grind, with both teams trading chances but neither able to find the decisive goal. Barrett was stellar in net for SUNY Poly, turning aside a barrage of late MCLA attempts, including saves on shots by DeMaio, Allie Bayer, and Catelyn Hodge. On the attacking end, Bush, Poovey, and Mertz each generated looks for the Wildcats, but MCLA goalkeeper Destiny Alexandra Rivas stood tall to keep the game even.

Despite several late pushes from both sides, including a near miss from Mertz in the 89th minute, the score remained unchanged as the Wildcats secured their second draw of the season.

UP NEXT:

The Wildcats return home on Saturday, October 11 at 1:00 P.M. for a senior day matchup with the Keuka College Wolves.