Thornton delivers five goals, Warriors cruise to second straight shutout
By: Waldorf Sports Information Director
LEAVENWORTH, Kansas – Brittney Thornton made school history, scoring five goals to lead the Waldorf University women’s soccer team to a 5-0 victory over the University of Saint Mary on Friday.
The win marked the second straight shutout for the Warriors (3-7).
“It was a great day for the team,” Waldorf coach Michael Wilson said. “The girls played extremely well and are now playing the system with a lot of confidence.”
With five goals, Thornton rewrote the school record books. The senior forward from Denver surpassed the previous mark of four goals, set by Heather Collins during the 2006 season. The 10 points recorded by Thornton are also a single-match school record.
Waldorf’s Hanna DeVries collected for saves, stopping all four shots she faced to secure the clean sheet. The junior goalkeeper from Albert Lea, Minnesota earned the second consecutive shutout of her career.
Thornton turned in her first goal of the day, scoring unassisted in the 11th minute of the match.
Twenty-one minutes into the contest, Thornton pushed the Warriors (3-7) to a two-goal advantage as she found the back of the net following an assist from junior Chelsea Delgado.
Thornton struck again, providing an unassisted goal in the 68th minute.
Five minutes after recording a hat trick, Thornton was far from finished. She notched her fourth goal in the 73rd minute while freshman Emma Hjerpe was credited with the assist.
“We have been working on our shooting and creating goal-scoring opportunities,” Wilson said. “The team created a lot of good chances, and Brittney took every chance that came her way.”
Thornton delivered her final goal unassisted in the 83rd minute. It was her 11th goal of the season, which ties for third among Waldorf’s single-season records. Thornton scored 12 goals in 2013, and Collins currently owns the single-season mark with 15 goals.
With 78 points and 36 goals in four seasons, Thornton is the career leader for the Warriors in both statistical categories. Her 23 points this year rank second for points in a season, and she’s quickly closing in on her single-season school record of 25 points from 2013. Thornton currently leads the North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) in goals and points this season.
Waldorf controlled the tempo on Friday, outshooting the Spires (1-3-1) by a 12-8 advantage.
The Warriors registered 10 shots on goal. Six of Thornton’s seven shots were on frame. Senior Mia Crail also contributed four shots on goal while attempting five shots.
Saint Mary’s Jessica Wolff tallied five saves in the loss.
With back-to-back wins, Waldorf is aiming to continue building on its recent momentum as the Warriors prepare for NSAA play. Waldorf opens the conference season on Oct. 8, hosting Presentation College (5-2-1) at 5 p.m.
“We will look to take this confidence and work rate into our first conference game of the season against Presentation,” Wilson said.