Utica, N.Y. – The SUNY Poly women's soccer team dropped a 5-1 decision to St. John Fisher on Wednesday evening. The Wildcats fell behind 1-0 less than a minute into the match before quickly responding with a goal from Kara Mertz, assisted by Abigail Hughes, in the fifth minute. St. John Fisher regained the lead just before halftime before adding three more goals in the final 10 minutes of the second half to secure the victory. Skylar Blackwell made 11 saves in goal for SUNY Poly, while Mertz, Rylee Unebasami and Katelyn Meehan each recorded a shot.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
St. John Fisher opened the scoring just 57 seconds into the match when Olivia Kalil found the back of the net to give the Cardinals an early 1-0 advantage.
The Wildcats responded quickly, with Mertz scoring in the fifth minute off an assist from Hughes to even the match at 1-1.
St. John Fisher continued to create scoring opportunities throughout the opening half, but Blackwell kept the Cardinals off the scoreboard with several saves. Blackwell stopped shots from Kalil, Francesca Logrippo and Emily Woolingham, among others, to keep the Wildcats level.
SUNY Poly looked to take the lead, with Meehan recording a shot in the 16th minute, but the Cardinals continued to apply pressure. Blackwell made additional saves on shots from Logrippo, Woolingham and Jillyan Ewing as the Wildcats remained within striking distance.
St. John Fisher regained the lead with just 31 seconds remaining in the first half when Brooklyn Olschewske scored at 44:29, sending the Cardinals into halftime with a 2-1 advantage.
The Cardinals continued to generate opportunities early in the second half, but Blackwell turned aside another shot from Logrippo in the 56th minute. St. John Fisher also hit the woodwork shortly afterward, while Unebasami recorded a shot for SUNY Poly in the 58th minute.
The Wildcats continued to battle and nearly added another scoring opportunity when Mertz put a shot on goal in the 54th minute, but St. John Fisher goalkeeper Isabella Ayers made the save.
St. John Fisher added to its lead in the 81st minute when Kalil scored her second goal of the match, making it 3-1. Kalil found the back of the net again just over three minutes later to extend the Cardinals' advantage to 4-1.
The Cardinals added one more goal in the 87th minute when Woolingham scored to make it 5-1. SUNY Poly continued to compete through the final minutes, but St. John Fisher held on for the 5-1 victory.
UP NEXT:
The Wildcats return to action on Saturday, September 26, when they travel to face SUNY Geneseo at 1 p.m.
