AMHERST, N.Y. - Senior forward Kacey Bougard (East Aurora, N.Y./Sacred Heart) led a coming-out party for the Daemen College women's soccer team as they erupted offensively in a 5-0 shutout of visiting SUNY Canton under the lights at Dimp Wagner Stadium tonight.  Bougard recorded a three-goal "hat trick" - all in the first half - as Daemen snapped a three-game slide to even its overall record at 4-4-0.  SUNY Canton, meanwhile, dropped to 5-5-0 with the loss in this non-conference matchup.

Bougard got Daemen on top early when she broke up the right side, taking a feed from freshman Cassidy Kozub (West Seneca, N.Y./Orchard Park) and carrying the ball into the box before beating Canton goalkeeper Brittany Rotach with a hard liner just 1:32 into the game.  Kozub picked up the first assist of her career on the play.

She added an unassisted tally in the 10th minute, stealing the ball from a Canton defender in the box, dribbling to some space and launching a shot that made it inside the left post.

Bougard then put the Wildcats ahead 3-0 in the 30th minute.  Sophomore midfielder Ashley Griffin (Orchard Park, N.Y./Orchard Park) played a long through-ball that put Bougard in a breakaway situation and the senior striker did the rest.

It was Bougard's second "hat trick" of the season.  She previously accomplished the feat in Daemen's season-opening 4-0 win vs. Alderson-Broaddus College.  She now leads the team with seven goals and 17 points this season.

Daemen got insurance goals from sophomore back Meghan Lipinoga (North Tonawanda, N.Y./Canisius College) and freshman forward Caitlyn Grover (Canandaigua, N.Y./Marcus Whitman) in the second half to provide the final margin.

Lipinoga scored her first of the season, an unassisted tally, in the 51st minute.  She joined the play in the box after leading the rush out of the back-end.  A shot from senior forward Samantha Engel (Dryden, N.Y./Dryden) ricocheted off the near post and caromed right to the awaiting foot of Lipinoga who calmly burried a shot from the center of the box.

Grover got on the scoresheet with her first career goal in the 85th minute, playing a beautiful two-on-one situation with Engel who recorded her 28th career assist on the play.

The Daemen offense had been silent in recent weeks, scoring just three goals in its last five outings.  Tonight was the first time Daemen had scored five goals since a 9-0 throttling at Fisher College in the 2012 regular season finale.

"We finally got off to a good start," said Daemen head coach Dan Dolan.  "The past few games we've been digging ourselves out of early holes so it was good to see us attack with numbers the way we did.   I thought Sam and Kacey played with great chemistry up front tonight.  Let's hope we can keep it going into the weekend."

It could have been even worse for the visiting Kangaroos, a team transitioning from the NAIA to NCAA Division III.  Daemen rang three shots off the crossbar in the game, otherwise the score would have been really lopsided.

Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Kathryn Haessner (Moravia, N.Y./Moravia) made two saves in the first half to earn her fourth win of the season between the pipes.  She was relieved by senior Rachel Reichart (Marilla, N.Y./Iroquois Central) who was tested just once in the second half to preserve the shutout - Daemen's fourth of the season.

Daemen held a 23-8 advantage in total shots and placed 13 on frame.  Rotach made seven saves for Canton.

The Wildcats continue their busy week with a three-games-in-three-days road swing through Long Island, N.Y.  Daemen will visit New York Tech (Friday, Oct. 4) and St. Thomas Aquinas College (Saturday, Oct. 5) before closing the week at East Coast Conference favorite Long Island University Post (Sunday, Oct. 6).