Utica, N.Y. - The SUNY Poly men's soccer team lost their road contest to the SUNY Canton Kangaroos by a score of 2-1. Colby Diamond scored his first goal of the season for the Wildcats, while goalkeeper Tyler Barth saved five of the seven shots he faced. The Wildcats are now 2-1 on the season. 

HOW IT HAPPENED:

SUNY Canton kicked things off and looked to establish pressure early, with Markel Mosley firing the game's first shot in the 2nd minute, though it missed wide. SUNY Poly responded quickly, striking first in the 4th minute. Colby Diamond finished off a well-built attack, slotting home a left-footed shot into the right corner off assists from Dominick Spychalski and Andrew Sprenger to give the Wildcats a 1-0 lead.

The Kangaroos pushed back immediately. Asher Spodnik forced a save from Tyler Barth in the 6th minute, and just after a substitution reset the Canton lineup, Mosley found the equalizer in the 12th minute. Off a cross from Demetrius Blake Jr., Mosley buried a quick right-footed finish inside the box to level the match at 1-1.

Both sides battled through the midfield as the half wore on. Gavin Barth sent a shot high for SUNY Poly in the 18th minute, while Mosley nearly struck again for Canton in the 16th, but Barth made another solid save to keep things level. 

The turning point of the first half came in the 40th minute. After earning a free kick just outside the box, Canton's Hayden Brimelow would put the Kangaroos up 2-1. 

SUNY Poly looked for a quick response before the half, but would enter the half down by a goal. 

The second half began with both teams trading chances. Canton's Christopher Guallpa forced an early save from Tyler Barth in the 47th minute off a corner, while SUNY Poly nearly equalized the game two minutes later when Eric Bethmann rattled the crossbar.

The match grew increasingly physical, with fouls piling up and the referee issuing a pair of yellow cards in the 61st minute to Poly's JohnPaul Jerome and Canton's Owen Lebron. 

In the closing stages, Barth kept Poly within striking distance with clutch saves in the 86th and 89th minutes, denying Hayden Brimelow twice from close range. Poly's best late chance came in the 87th minute when Jerome broke free inside the box, but Canton goalkeeper Jason Vela was up to the task, turning the shot away.

Despite Poly's efforts to find a late equalizer, Canton's defense held firm, taking home the 2-1 victory. 

UP NEXT: The Wildcats will be back on home turf for a matchup with the Skidmore College Thoroughbreds on September 6th at 2:00 PM.