Blanking the competition

By: Justin Lafleur, Lehigh Sports Media Relations

You hear it often. The structured schedule of college athletics helps student-athletes thrive in all areas. Student-athletes have a set schedule: class, practice, study and repeat.

Lehigh women's soccer senior goalkeeper Ashley Blanks epitomizes this notion… and takes it to an entirely new level. Ever since she can remember, Blanks volunteered in all areas.

"I've always needed to be booked," she said. "I need something to be going on all the time. I can't just be sitting still."

Blanks has taken this attitude into her time at Lehigh with not only academics and athletics, but also SALSC (Student-Athletes Leading Social Change) and SAC (Student-Athlete Council). In the recruiting process, the North Andover, Massachusetts native was looking for a school that would diversify her experience.

Ashley has grown as a player, leader and person in her time donning the brown and white. She made an immediate impact on the soccer field as a freshman starter, posting a strong .793 save percentage and 1.14 goals against average to go with five shutouts.

"The game was a lot faster than I was used to," said Blanks. "I had a lot of upperclassmen who showed their trust in me and really helped me adjust."

The Mountain Hawks were coming off the 2010 Patriot League Championship, so Blanks just wanted to perform for the upperclassmen. She converted that pressure into success, highlighted by stellar numbers as a junior when she tallied a.866 save percentage and 1.01 GAA, which is fifth in program history.

Over the last three seasons, Blanks teamed with junior Ani Nahapetian to create a dynamic goalkeeping tandem - especially this past year. Collectively, the goalies posted a 0.94 GAA and .805 save percentage in 2014. The transition from starting into splitting time admittedly wasn't easy at first, but Blanks and Nahapetian have a great relationship, which helped both players (and the team) flourish.

"We both obviously want to play every game, but that's not the way it was and I think we were really able to put that aside and really focus on the team," said Blanks.

The duo created a system for success.

"When one of us knows we're playing the next game, we get that player the reps," said Blanks.

Blanks' impact at Lehigh has gone far beyond on-field success. She was co-captain of SALSC and a member of SAC until this year when things have flip-flopped. Now, she's a co-captain of SAC and member of SALSC.

Ashley helped build Student-Athletes Leading Social Change within Lehigh Athletics. She was the only freshman involved in the organization at the time. A focus on fundraising initiatives has turned into other opportunities to make a difference.

"As a sophomore, I focused on the fundraising aspect then we did a lot of service around campus," said Blanks. "I really liked SALSC's mission - a group of student-athletes serving people. I have grown a lot through the SALSC organization."

Blanks is now focusing on SAC which is a group of student-athlete leaders whose mission is to provide opportunities for all student-athletes to develop meaningful relationships with each other, the greater athletics and Lehigh communities, the Bethlehem community and alumni.

Blanks also works extensively with Julie Ammary through her leadership programs.

"Ashley has practiced and refined her vocal leadership abilities as well as regularly encouraging and collaborating with others to accomplish concrete goals," said Ammary.

Blanks' personality creates an environment conducive for fun and learning, whether she's with her teammates, classmates or other student-athletes.

"Ashley is someone who every single person on the team can relate to," said Lehigh head coach Eric Lambinus. "Everybody enjoys spending time with Ashley; everybody can have a conversation with her."

Intangibles often mean more to a team's success than talent. With that in mind, Blanks and her senior classmates met with Ammary last spring.

"We went around and said we're tired of not having success," said Blanks.

The focus was on improving team chemistry. The chemistry was never poor, but Blanks and her classmates wanted to bringing things to the next level. The end result was extremely positive and much of the team's success could be attributed to the seniors' initiative.

"We were so cohesive as a unit (in 2014). Our class really committed to making sure we had a personal relationship with everybody," said Blanks. "I think that translated into the fall when we integrated the freshmen. Everybody loves each other and it translated into our play because we really played as a team."

The seniors made a concerted effort to reach out to the freshmen and make them feel part of the family.

"The senior class knew they needed to collaborate to set a positive and powerful tone. They each found ways to lead from their strengths in order to make that happen," said Ammary. "This kind of influence requires daily commitment and constant communication, which is not easy, but is possible."

Lehigh enjoyed increased success this past season, setting a school record for longest unbeaten streak to begin Patriot League play (six) by breaking the previous record of five with a tie against Army. Lehigh was truly 27 deep and was a team due in large part to the seniors' concerted effort to grow the culture.

Soccer is over, but Blanks' Lehigh career isn't. After earning her undergraduate degree in Biology and Spanish & Latin American Studies, she hopes to stay at Lehigh for a fifth year to earn her master's degree in Secondary Education. She couldn't be more thankful for her experiences at Lehigh.

"Jumping in and meeting fellow athletes who have the same kind of determination, the same goals and the same lifestyle have helped build the most amazing friendships and relationships," said Blanks. "I just love Lehigh and have so much pride being here."

Completed Event: Women's Soccer at Lafayette on October 29, 2025 , Loss , 1, to, 2

Completed Event: Women's Soccer versus Boston University on October 25, 2025 , Loss , 0, to, 4

Completed Event: Women's Soccer at Princeton on October 21, 2025 , Loss , 1, to, 5

Completed Event: Women's Soccer at Holy Cross on October 18, 2025 , Win , 1, to, 0

Completed Event: Women's Soccer versus Colgate on October 15, 2025 , Loss , 1, to, 2

Completed Event: Women's Soccer versus Loyola on October 10, 2025 , Loss , 1, to, 2

Completed Event: Women's Soccer at American on October 4, 2025 , Loss , 1, to, 3

Lehigh University Athletics

Related News

Players Mentioned

Ashley Blanks

Ani Nahapetian

Related Videos