Page One

St. Mary’s drops Cal in NCAA first round

By Dean Caparaz,Daily Planet Correspondent
Saturday November 17, 2001

STANFORD – Cal ended its season in frustrating fashion, as Saint Mary’s defeated the Golden Bears, 3-2, in the first round of the NCAA women’s soccer tournament Friday evening at Stanford.  

The last time Cal won a postseason match was in 1988, and they now have lost six straight tournament games.  

Against the Gaels, Cal junior midfielder Brittany Kirk scored twice, including a goal with three seconds left in the game, but time ran out for the Bears.  

“We fought hard to the end, so it’s appropriate we got one in the last couple of minutes,” Kirk said.  

Cal coach Kevin Boyd, who received a yellow card for complaining to referee Brian Hall about Saint Mary’s physical play, continued to complain to Hall after the match and received a red card.  

“I told our team after the game I thought we played hard,” he said. “We just didn’t have that good of a game. They had a good game.”  

As in these teams’ regular season meeting, won 1-0 by Saint Mary’s, Friday’s match was a physical one. However, Hall whistled Saint Mary’s for just 14 fouls and Cal for nine.  

The Gaels withstood a Cal first-half onslaught that produced four good scoring chances to just one for Saint Mary’s. That one came in the 40th minute, as Saint Mary’s forward Katie Frattone fired a rocket past Cal freshman goalkeeper Mallory Moser to make the score 1-0.  

In the second half, Saint Mary’s put the Bears back on their heels with runs by Frattone and Lucianne Crenshaw. Frattone scored her second goal just two minutes into the half on a left-footed volley that looped over Moser into the net.  

On the other side of the field, Bears star forward Laura Schott saw little of the ball, except when she dropped back to midfield to get it. Saint Mary’s coach Paul Ratcliffe admitted he adjusted the defense after Schott tore through the Gaels in the regular season.  

“We talked about dropping off a little bit and making sure we didn’t let her get behind the defense, and we’ll limit her opportunities,” Saint Mary’s coach Paul Ratcliffe said. “She’s deadly when she gets in one-on-one.”  

Kirk proved just as deadly. In the 51st minute, Bears defender Kim Stocklmeir threw the ball into teammate Kacy Hornor, who headed the ball towards Kirk. Kirk bent the ball around Saint Mary’s goalkeeper Ruth Montgomery into the upper right corner of the net.  

About 12 minutes later, Saint Mary’s answered as Frattone set up Crenshaw for the Gaels’ last goal.  

As the public address announcer counted off the final seconds, a Stocklmeir through ball set up Kirk for Cal’s final goal. Three seconds later, Saint Mary’s was celebrating.  

“Not winning a playoff game the last three years I’ve been here is pretty frustrating,” Schott said. “Every year we’ve had a tough draw, but every year we’ve had a strong enough team, I think, to also get a win, and we haven’t come through yet. But I’m still looking forward to next year.”