Utica, N.Y. - The SUNY Poly men's soccer team battled to a scoreless draw against the Mount Saint Mary College Knights. Goalie Tyler Barth stood tall in net for the Wildcats, recording five saves to preserve the clean sheet. The result moves SUNY Poly to 2-3-1 on the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Mount Saint Mary came out flying in the opening minutes, earning three straight corner kicks in the first four minutes of play. Jeremy Burgos nearly put the Knights ahead in the 4th minute, striking the right post before testing Barth moments later with a low shot to the center of the goal, which the junior keeper calmly handled.
The Knights continued to push, forcing Barth into another save in the 11th minute off the foot of Marco Mazzarelli. SUNY Poly weathered the storm and generated their first look in the 37th minute, when JohnPaul Jerome's effort sailed just wide. Shortly before halftime, Marcus Cole also had a chance, but his strike from distance went over the bar, sending the match into the break scoreless.
The second half saw much of the same, with Barth keeping the Wildcats in the contest. He denied Alex Napoli twice in quick succession, first with a low stop in the 47th minute and again in the 53rd with another sharp save. He added a highlight save in the 60th minute when Burgos fired a shot from the top of the box that was destined for the net.
SUNY Poly's best chance of the match came in the 78th minute when Xander Novack broke free and fired a shot on target, but Knights goalkeeper Noah Horn made the stop to keep the game level. Marcus Cole followed with a look of his own in the 83rd minute, but his shot drifted just wide left.
The Knights pressed for a late winner with a flurry of corners in the final minutes, but the Wildcat defense held firm to secure the clean sheet.
UP NEXT: The Wildcats will head to Hamilton College for their final non-conference game of the season against the Continentals. The game is scheduled for September 17th at 4:30 P.M.Â