ALFRED, N.Y. - Senior goalkeeper Rachel Reichart (Marilla, N.Y./Iroquois Central) made three saves to earn the first shutout of her career and classmate Kacey Bougard (East Aurora, N.Y./Sacred Heart) had a goal and an assist as the Daemen College women's soccer team scored a 3-0 win against Alfred University in a non-conference game under the lights at Yunevich Stadium tonight.  With the win, Daemen improves to 8-8-0 this season while the host Saxons, of NCAA Division III and the Empire 8 Conference, drop to 5-11-0.

Junior midfielder Juli Prentice (Dryden, N.Y./Dryden) put Daemen on the board at the 28:13 mark.  Bougard picked up the assist on the play as Prentice rifled a high, driving shot from 30 yards out that found its way just under the crossbar, putting Daemen ahead 1-0.

The lead would remain at just one goal for Daemen until Bougard scored her team-leading 11th goal of the season in the 60th minute off a feed from freshman Leah May (Palmyra, N.Y./Palmyra-Macedon).

Freshman Cassidy Kozub (West Seneca, N.Y./Orchard Park) picked up the first goal of her career, an unassisted tally, at the 89:05 mark to provide the final margin.

"We knocked the ball around nicely tonight, and did a nice job controlling the game," said head coach Dan Dolan.  "We still have some work to do as we prepare for postseason play."

Reichart, who made her eighth appearance of the season and third consecutive start, went untested in the opening period but made stops in the 49th, 69th and 90th minutes to earn the shutout.

Daemen dominated possession in the game and led the Saxons in total shots 20-5, placing 11 on frame.  Alfred's Samijo Scheer made eight saves in a losing effort for the Saxons.

With her three-point effort tonight, Bougard is tied for the lead amongst East Coast Conference players in goals (11) and leads the conference outright in total points (28).

Daemen gutted out the win despite missing several key players.  Senior striker Samantha Engel (Dryden, N.Y./Dryden) missed the first game of her career with an injury while classmate Alexa Amato (Grand Island, N.Y./Grand Island) has been ruled out for the remainder of the season.  Amato, the team's M.V.P. from a season ago, was limited to just four games in her senior season.

The win tonight improved Daemen's record in non-conference games to 7-1 this season and was their sixth shutout of the year.  The Wildcats are a perfect 5-0 against non-NCAA Division II opponents, outscoring teams 19-1 in those contests.

It was announced yesterday that Daemen has earned a bid to the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) National Championships to be held Oct. 30 through Nov. 2 in Charleston, W. Va.  Daemen, the tournament's No. 2 seed, enters as the defending USCAA national champions, and will face the winner of the pre-quarterfinal "play-in" game between No. 7 Paul Smith's College and No. 10 West Virginia University Institute of Technology on Oct. 31 at 5:15 p.m.  Daemen remains affiliated with the USCAA for postseason opportunities as it is not yet eligible for ECC or NCAA Division II postseason play.

Before heading to West Virginia, Daemen will close their 2013 regular season with their ECC finale at Mercy College next Tuesday (Oct. 29).  Game time is set for 12 p.m. from Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.