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Great Schott! Cal striker ties school scoring record

By Jared Green Daily Planet Staff
Saturday November 04, 2000

Sophomore gets 23rd goal in win 

 

After tying Cal’s school record for goals in a season Friday afternoon, sophomore forward Laura Schott said she’s not done yet. 

“I’ve still got Sunday to beat the record, so I’ve still got some work to do,” Schott said following the 2-0 Cal victory over the visiting Oregon State Beavers. 

Schott scored her 23rd goal of the season during the match, tying Joy Fawcett’s 1987 season. Fawcett is one of the most decorated players in the history of women’s soccer who has played for the U.S. National Team for most of the past decade.  

“Right now I’m next to Joy Fawcett, who has been an amazing player for the past 10-plus years,” Schott said. “It’s a pretty cool feeling.” 

Bringing added drama to the game was the fact that Oregon State’s coach, Steve Fennah, was Schott’s coach at Jesuit High School in Wilsonville, Oregon. 

“She’s always had the ability to score goals,” Fennah said. “She’s so fast in tight space, she can get by you even when you think you’ve got good position on her.” 

Schott’s goal came in the 36th minute of the game. Cal sweeper Tami Pivnik fed her the ball at the top of the box, and Schott did the rest herself. She slid the ball between two defenders, then managed to dribble around OSU goalkeeper Jerika Duran and punch the ball into the back of the net. Her goal gave the Bears a 2-0 lead, which was never threatened by an outmanned Beaver squad. 

The Bears outshot OSU 18-3 in the game as the visitors were quickly reduced to clearing the ball from their own half as their only form of offense. Berkeley’s backline of Pivnik, senior Amy White and sophomore Ashley Mueller rebuffed nearly every attack the Beavers attempted, and goalkeeper Maite Zabala was sure-handed as always, calmly handling OSU’s long balls before giving way to backup Gabby Ronick late in the game. 

The Bears got on the board early thanks to midfielder Natalie Stuhlmueller, who slammed home a shot off of an assist from sophomore Brittany Kirk. Stuhlmueller came out on fire, as she dominated the first half with strong forward runs that left the Beaver defense bewildered. 

“My warmup was a little shaky today,” Stuhlmueller said. “Scoring the early goal gave me some confidence to take some people on.” 

Cal head coach Kevin Boyd was clearly impressed with his midfielder’s aggressiveness. 

“This was probably her best game of the year,” he said. “She was on fire, just shredding people all game long.” 

Cal finishes their regular season Sunday against Oregon at noon. The game will be played at Edwards Stadium, and will be followed by the Cal men taking on No. 3 Indiana. 

Sunday will also be the day Boyd’s team finds out who their first post-season opponent will be. The Bears should draw a first-round bye in the NCAA Tournament, then play a home game on Saturday, Nov. 11.