Chatsworth Girls Top Grant for City Soccer Championship

Rebecca Shumaker and the Chatsworth High girls’ soccer team posted hat tricks against Grant during the Chancellors’ 3-1 victory Saturday in the inaugural City Section final at Birmingham.

Chatsworth (16-0-1) already had beaten Grant (12-3-3) twice in conference play. The Chancellors harried two Grant goalkeepers with 23 shots on goal--13 in the first half--en route to the convincing victory over their Northwest Valley Conference rival.

Shumaker, a senior forward, scored all three goals to ensure an undefeated season for Chatsworth.

“I knew one of the forwards would get a hat trick,” Chatsworth Coach Stan Vargas said. “The only surprise I had was that I thought the score would be higher.”

Shumaker scored her first goal with a sweeping kick from eight yards at the 29 minute mark off a throw-in by Misti La Quey.

Chatsworth increased its advantage to 2-0 three minutes later when forward Kris Bassler fed Shumaker with a corner kick and the Chancellor senior fired a shot into the lower-right corner of the net, out of reach of Lancer goalkeeper Elana Tuizer.

Six minutes into the second half, Shumaker found the upper-middle portion of Grant’s goal with a shot from five yards after receiving a crossing pass from Bassler.

“We went back and forth,” Grant Coach Frank Ortiz said. “We lost some concentration and had some injuries.”

Tuizer, who recorded seven saves, temporarily was removed from the game in the first half after sustaining a blow to the knee in a collision with Bassler. Tuizer returned with 23 minutes remaining in the game to make three saves.

Grant scored its only goal with three minutes to play when junior forward Amanda Walzer directed a shot from 15 yards into the lower-left corner of the net. The goal was Walzer’s 39th of the season.