Blanford Scores Three In 5-0 Women’s Soccer Victory

(GAME HIGHLIGHTS AVAILABLE)

AURORA, N.Y. – Junior Shannon Blanford (Fayetteville, N.Y.) scored her second career hat trick for the Wells College women's soccer team en route to a 5-0 victory over the Bison of Gallaudet University Sunday afternoon at the North Athletic Field. With the victory, Wells has won back-to-back North Eastern Athletic Conference games and sports a 3-7 overall record alongside a 3-1 mark within league play. Gallaudet (0-9-1, 0-5 NEAC) remains winless on the season.

In the game, Blanford scored three goals and assisted two others, racking up a career-best eight points (3-2=8). Her eight points in one game are the second most by a Wells player since the school joined the NCAA in 1986. The modern day single game point scoring record is held by Adora LaRoche '01 – LaRoche scored four goals and added an assist for eight points (4-1=8) against Wilson College on Sept. 16, 2001, a 7-0 Wells victory.

In two games this weekend, Blanford has racked up five goals and two assists for 12 points (5-2=12), the most points across any two games in her career.

Senior Lindsey Bush (Averill Park, N.Y.) scored what would prove to be the game-winning goal only 2:43 into action, lifting Wells to the early 1-0 lead. Bush hammered home a feed from Blanford that crossed the goal mouth from right to left for the very first goal of her career. After Blanford scored in the eighth minute to put the hosts up by a 2-0 score, sophomore Karley Raczynski (Fonda, N.Y.) touched home a Blanford pass near the right post for a 3-0 lead.

Freshman Arianna Harmon (East Syracuse, N.Y.) assisted Blanford's first goal of the game, tallying her first collegiate point on the play. Sophomore Heather Hiltbrand (Fayetteville, N.Y.) picked up an assist on Blanford's second goal of the game in the 27th minute.

Hiltbrand, who fired 13 shots on goal on Saturday against Wilson, racked up a career-high 14 shots this afternoon against Gallaudet, the most by any Wells player on record dating back to the 2008 season.

In her second collegiate game as a goalkeeper, freshman Olivia Baum (Summerville, S.C.) picked up her second collegiate victory with a three save performance over the Bison. Sophomore Kylie Nishioka (Encinitas, Calif.) relieved Baum at halftime and turned aside all three shots on goal that she faced. Gallaudet keeper Kara Gulvas, who led all NCAA Division III women's soccer goalkeepers in saves last year, racked up 14 against the Express, allowing five goals on 19 total shots on goal. Near the midpoint of the second half, Jennifer Livengood relieved Gulvas and turned aside all four shots on net that she faced.

Wells returns to action Friday, Oct. 4 as they face-off against the Chargers of Lancaster Bible College in a 4:00 p.m. road contest.