PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. - The Castleton women's soccer team opened the 2021 campaign with a hard-fought tie at Plattsburgh State Wednesday evening. 

Rylee Nichols highlighted the contest with a two-goal performance, but the Cardinals (0-0-1) stormed back to force a 2-2 tie. 

Nichols gave the Spartans (0-0-1) an early lead as she found the back of the net thanks to a setup Julia Carone. The senior forward would strike again in the 37th minute, this time on a free kick as she placed the ball perfectly above the outstretched arms of Plattsburgh State's Julia Ennis.

Nichols, who now holds 32 career goals, sits at sixth in goals scored in program history. 

Plattsburgh State answered Nichols' second tally in the 43rd minute to cut the Castleton lead in half just before the break. They'd tie the match at 2-2 in the 78th minute as Allison Seidman knotted things to force an extra session. Nichols had a chance at a hat trick in the waning seconds of regulation, but couldn't sneak the attempt past Cardinal goalkeeper Ennis. 

Alex Benfatti made a pair of key saves in the early minutes of the first overtime to keep the hosts from tallying the golden goal. Benfatti made 10 saves in total, reaching double-digits for the third time in her career. She would go on to make two more saves in the final overtime period, including one in the 108th minute. 

Castleton returns to action on Saturday, September 4 when they host Colby-Sawyer for the home opener. Kickoff is set for 5:30 p.m.