Oneonta, N.Y. - The SUNY Poly women's soccer team fell 3-0 on the road against the Hartwick College Hawks. Goalkeeper Samantha Barrett turned in an outstanding performance with double-digit saves to keep the Wildcats in contention, but the Hawks ultimately broke through with a trio of second-half goals. With the loss, Poly moves to 1-6-1 on the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Hartwick controlled much of the opening half, testing Barrett early and often. The keeper came up big with stops on Addyson Galuski in the 2nd minute, Jenna Mierek in the 12th, and Sara Moore in the 16th, keeping the Hawks off the board. Barrett continued to anchor the defense with saves in the 24th, 31st, 34th, and 37th minutes, sending the match into halftime locked at 0-0 despite a flurry of Hartwick pressure.
Poly looked to spark the attack in the second half, as Abigail Hughes fired just wide in the 54th minute before Kara Mertz forced a save from goalkeeper Mikayla Piersa in the 66th. However, Hartwick broke the deadlock in the 59th minute when Reilly Groff found the net off a setup from Dahlia Landry to give the hosts a 1-0 advantage. Just over a minute later, Olivia Farnham doubled the lead with a finish inside the box.
The Hawks added an insurance tally in the 76th minute, as Ella Grupe converted off an assist from Camryn Montelongo to make it 3-0. Barrett continued to battle in net, adding key saves in the 64th, 68th, and 82nd minutes to close out a strong personal outing despite the result.
Poly nearly pulled one back late, with Hughes (77') and Taylor Poovey (87') both testing Piersa, but the Hartwick defense held firm to secure the clean sheet.
UP NEXT: The Wildcats will be back on the road for a matchup with the Saint John Fisher Cardinals on September 27th at 6:00 P.M.Â