Soccer: Schmidt Nets School-Record Four Goals in Win over Prairie View
Nick Ross, September 13, 2013
Contact: Nick Ross
LAFAYETTE, La. – Freshman forward Annika Schmidt scored one goal in the first half and added a second-half hat-trick, for four goals, to lead the Cajuns past Prairie View A&M, 5-1, on Friday at the Cajun Soccer Complex. The Cajuns improved to 2-4-2 on the season.
"The team played well tonight," head coach Scot Wieland said. "We have been playing well lately, you just see what happens when we put the ball in the net. We played very composed and possessed, and they are doing the things we are coaching them to do. Scoring a few goals always helps."
"I am really happy that we won the game," Schmidt said. "It was a fun game and everyone played very good. We played both halves and we’re already looking forward to Sunday for another good game."
Schmidt now has 17 points with eight goals and an assist, the third most in a season in school history. She has done this in eight games, averaging almost two points a game.. It was her second hat-trick of the season, her first coming on Sept. 1 against Northwestern State.
"She is a natural finisher," Wieland said. "She scores beautiful goals. She went back in the game, [after three goals] not to score a fourth goal, but because we’re concentrating on conference and we need her and [Montoya] to build chemistry up front, where they have only played together for three games."
Entering the day, just three players in the nation had scored eight-or-more goals.
The Cajuns opened the scoring in the 24th minute when Schmidt knocked in her first of the game. She caught a crossing pass inside the box from fellow freshman Carly Ellender and slid it into the net.
Ellender would get her second helper of the game on the next goal, sending a pass in a similar situation to Taylor Kennedy to put away. It was Kennedy’s first goal of the season and Ellender’s third assist.
Prairie View closed the gap in the final minute of the half, when Celene Batrez netted her third goal of the season. Batrez beat a defender for a breakaway and sent it to the lower right corner of the goal.
The Cajuns would switch keepers at half, a decision made by Wieland before the game, two get both Cory DeMarco and Kendall Graham playing time. DeMarco started the game and made two saves, allowing the one goal, but picking up the win and improving to 2-1-0 on the season. Graham played the second half, making one save and keeping Prairie View scoreless.
It was all-Annika Schmidt in the second half netting three goals, all unassisted. She scored in the 50th, 54th and 87th minutes, for her sixth, seventh and eighth goals of the season. Her second goal came on a breakaway, her third came from a misplayed ball by the keeper and her fourth came after she beat a defender for a clean shot.
"I’m just happy because we won as a team," Schmidt said. "I guess I’m a little more happy because I scored goals. It’s always the whole team, not just one person. I have great teammates and they help me score the goals and help the goals not be difficult."
After all was said-and-done, Schmidt broke school records for most goals in a game (4), most points in a game (8), most goals in a half (3), most points in a half (6) and most hat-tricks in a career (2).
Lost in the shuffle of Schmidt’s night were Ellender’s two assists, becoming just the tenth player to record multiple assists in the game, and first time since Maci Andrus did so on Sept. 7, 2012 against Southern.
As a team, the Cajuns had 21 shot attempts with 16 coming on target, their best shooting percentage of the season.
Ragin’ Cajuns freshmen have now scored 31 points on the season with 12 goals and 7 assists.
The Cajuns will finish up their homestand on Sunday afternoon when Mississippi Valley State comes to town for a 1 p.m. kickoff. Louisiana will then take to the road for the first time since the season opener to take on Houston, before opening the Sun Belt Conference schedule with a trip to newcomer Georgia State a week later.
