Baum Turns Aside 25 In Loss To SUNYIT

AURORA, N.Y. – Freshman goalkeeper Olivia Baum (Summerville, S.C.) made the most saves by a Wells College women's soccer goalkeeper since 1994 as the Express posted a 6-2 loss to the Wildcats of SUNY Institute of Technology Saturday afternoon at the North Athletic Field. With the loss, the Express fall to 3-11 overall on the season and to 3-4 within North Eastern Athletic Conference play. The victory boosts the Wildcats to a 4-9 overall record alongside a 4-4 mark in league play.

SUNYIT fired a whopping 52 shots on the afternoon and continued to turn up the offensive heat in the second half, blasting 31 shots in the final stanza. Baum was able to halt 25 total shots on goal that she faced, the most stopped by a Wells goalkeeper since Christy Gunderson '95 made 27 saves against Utica on Sept. 20, 1994. In individual game history, Baum's 25 shots are tied for 11th place all-time in Wells history – the all-time single game record is 41 saves (Sheila Carroll '88, at Nazareth, 10/07/85).

Shortly following a goal by Stephanie Wurz, sophomore Heather Hiltbrand (Fayetteville, N.Y.) was able to tie the score at one apiece at 13:49. With the Express carrying the ball up the left side, a foul was committed against a Wells player that led to a direct kick opportunity by Hiltbrand. A powerful blast on goal was able to elude the grasp of Wildcats goalkeeper Margaret Werenczek for the equalizing goal.

The Wildcats, however, would score the game's next four goals to place the game out of reach for the host Express. Wurz completed a hat trick in the game's 62nd minute, but not after Katie Driscoll and Kaelyn Francis scored their fourth and third goals of the season, respectively, to add insurance for the guests from SUNYIT. Kristina Strang scored her fourth goal of the season with 3:34 left in regulation time to conclude the afternoon's scoring as SUNYIT was able to stave off a Wells comeback to attain a 6-2 road victory.

Sophomore Kylie Nishioka (Encinitas, Calif.) scored her first collegiate goal at 86:34 of the game, becoming the first goalkeeper since Rachel Mattraw '12 to start at least four games as a team's goalkeeper and score a goal in the same season. Mattraw accomplished that feat during the 2011 season.

Baum allowed six goals on 31 total shots on net while Werenczek allowed two goals on four shots on net. SUNYIT also held the decisive 8-to-2 edge in corner kicks and committed seven fouls against Wells' zero infractions.

Wells returns to action Tuesday, Oct. 15 as they face-off against the College of Saint Elizabeth in a 4:00 p.m. road contest. The game, originally scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 21, was moved from off-campus to on-campus following the completion of Saint Elizabeth's brand new grass playing surface.