Teammates of Jen Stoltenberg might have trouble believing this.
The freshman forward who speaks too fast, dances too much and laughs too often actually felt a little timid when she first practiced with the team.
“At first, I was nervous,” Stoltenberg recalled. “I wanted to fit in with everyone. I thought it would be hard to fit in. It took a few days, but everyone was very loving and treated me like I was already on the team and they treated all the freshmen like that.”
After a few two-a-days in August, Stoltenberg discovered it was OK to be herself, which meant she could be sarcastic, dryly humorous and quick to laugh.
So when the arm of a barrier gate outside a parking garage lowered down on an unsuspecting teammate’s head in Los Angeles earlier this year, she was the first to crack up. It was OK – in fact, most of her teammates followed suit.
That level of acceptance also meant Stoltenberg could feel comfortable doing what she does best on the field: run fast and shoot frequently.
“Coach says the more shots the better,” Stoltenberg said. “She sometimes says ‘We will tell you if you are shooting too much.’ She hasn’t told me to stop shooting yet. To score, you have to shoot. That is my motto I guess.”
Stoltenberg is a 5-foot-3 striker from Mission Viejo, Calif., who’s taken 21 shots this year for Oregon (8-7-2 overall, 1-3-2 Pacific-10) – that’s four more than senior forward Tiffany Smith and just three shy of the team’s second most active shooter, junior Allison Newton. With three matches remaining in her first college season, Stoltenberg is tied for sixth on the team with four points. Her first and only goal came in a win against UC Riverside, when she booted in a left-footed goal from 10 yards out; that came just three matches into the season. Even before then, Erickson had already received visual confirmation of Stoltenberg’s value to the team.
“I can picture the first game against Nevada,” Erickson said. “She took the other team by surprise by her speed and quick three steps. Obviously, we had already had our moments in practice of saying ‘Wow, look at her go.’”
Teammate Teresa Bowns says Stoltenberg doesn’t play like a rookie when she substitutes into matches for her.
“When she goes in she changes the game,” Bowns said. “She brings a different pace up top. She likes to go at players one-on-one and she is really good at it.”
Coach Tara Erickson says Stoltenberg collects and turns balls with the best of them, which often leads to shot opportunities.
“She likes to fire away,” Erickson said. “She has a great left and right foot.”
It seems Stoltenberg generates just as much energy off the field.
“She is kind of like the team clown,” said Bowns, now beginning to hunt for the right words. “She just likes to do a dance pre-game.”
No rebuttal necessary.
“That is called the Stolt shaker,” said Stoltenberg, who’s recorded two assists this year. “I do it in the locker room sometimes. I have been doing it since junior year in high school. It got everybody pumped up and everybody had a good laugh.”
Erickson said Stoltenberg is always in the middle of something.
“She always tells me she is never up to anything,” Erickson said. “And she always tells the truth. And she’s always on her best behavior. Sometimes we catch her doing a few things, but it is all in good fun. She’s a great kid with a great sense of humor.”
Stoltenberg generates even more laughs when she talks too fast. “Sometimes I speak too fast for everyone so I don’t get my words out right.” It seems her legs can keep up with her voice though, which helps make up for the fact that she’s the second shortest player on the team.
“Instead of winning headers, I try to outspeed them,” said Stoltenberg, who’s played in all 17 games this season, starting in two after junior Jen Cameron suffered a concussion.
Stoltenberg has raw speed – she says she runs 40 yards in 5.01 seconds – but what Erickson said she does best is funneling her explosiveness.
“There are a couple kids who may have a 40 time that is faster than hers, but the thing that she has is a quick turn and a very quick three steps,” Erickson said. “She might have the fastest explosiveness on the ball in that initial ability to blow by somebody.”
Erickson said Stoltenberg’s arrival came at just the right time – she’s been encouraging even more aggressiveness from the entire offense this season after losing a scoring juggernaut to graduation. Last year, Erickson’s players too often deferred to former Oregon star Nicole Garbin, who scored 12 of the team’s 24 goals.
“It’s like open shooting season now,” Erickson said. “Anybody who wants to shoot, go ahead. We will let you know if you are doing it too much.”
And Stoltenberg takes that invitation seriously.
“If I am in the game, I like to face up, go at the goal, go for some assists; goals if possible, stuff like that,” she said. “I am just out there to try and get the job done and win.”
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