Plattsburgh State's Esteban Loaiza (26) with the flying kick to tie the game at two in the 61st minute of the game. The Plattsburgh State Cardinals opened the home portion of their SUNYAC schedule Saturday afternoon in front of 175 fans, battling the nationally ranked No. 23 Oneonta State Red Dragons to a thrilling 2-2 draw. Coming into the match with a 4-3-2 record, the Cardinals faced a difficult challenge against the undefeated Red Dragons, who entered the contest at 7-0-1. Plattsburgh answered the challenge early, taking the lead in the 16th minute when Michael Rodriguez scored his second goal of the season. Rodriguez's strike gave the Cardinals a 1-0 advantage and energized the home crowd. The Cardinals held the lead for much of the first half before Oneonta found the equalizer late in the period. Milton Macias Magana netted his first goal of the season to pull the Red Dragons even at 1-1. The score remained tied through the remainder of the half as the teams headed into intermission deadlocked. Oneonta came out of the break with renewed energy and grabbed its first lead of the afternoon in the 58th minute when Drew Lennon scored his first goal of the season, putting the Red Dragons ahead 2-1. Plattsburgh responded quickly. Just three minutes later, in the 61st minute, Esteban Loaiza found the back of the net to tie the match at 2-2. The equalizer shifted momentum back to the Cardinals and set up an exciting final half hour. Neither team was able to find the game-winning goal despite several quality opportunities over the closing stages of the match. Both defenses stood strong as the contest finished in a 2-2 draw. With the result, Plattsburgh moves to 4-3-3 overall on the season. Goalkeeper Matthew D'Ippolito turned in a strong performance, recording seven saves. The Cardinals will return to action on Wednesday when they host the SUNY Delhi Broncos. Oneonta remains unbeaten and improves to 7-0-2. Goalkeeper James Cintron made one save for the Red Dragons. Oneonta will also be back in action Wednesday when it travels back to the North Country to face the Potsdam State Bears. The draw marked another impressive result for Plattsburgh, which showed resilience against one of the SUNYAC's top teams and a nationally ranked opponent. Gallery