Laura Schott

Laura Schott, enters her third season as the leader of George Fox women's soccer in the fall of 2022. In her two seasons at the controls, Fox has outperformed expectations and climbed to a third-place finish in 2021 with a 12-6-2 overall record and five All-Northwest Conference members on the roster.

Schott's teams have continued to develop into a contender throughout the earliest stages of her leadership, notching 12 shutouts in her first 28 games at the controls, and they have flipped from a negative scoring margin into a unit that outscored opponents 31-18 in 2021.

Schott, a former NCAA Division I standout player and head coach, was named the new head coach of the George Fox women’s soccer program in February 2020. Shortly after being added to the Bruins' coaching staff, Schott was also inducted into the Oregon Historical Society's Universe of Soccer display for her impact on the game as a player, coach, administrator, and broadcaster.

“I am overjoyed to announce Laura Schott as the next head women's soccer coach,” said George Fox Athletic Director Adam Puckett. “Laura has been successful at the highest levels as a player and has been successful in building a collegiate soccer program at the NCAA Division I level.

“I have no doubt that her experience and her desire to bring athletic excellence to George Fox soccer will create a championship program in years to come. More importantly, Laura is a perfect mission fit for our university and athletic department, both academically and spiritually.”

Schott is a winner who has had success at each level as a player and a coach, ranging from a successful amateur career – four high school state championships at Jesuit and a school record-setter at the University of California – all the way to a professional and international playing career. After earning four All-Pac 10 honors and two All-American nods for the Cal Bears, Schott became the Bears' first professional draft pick in 2003 after being selected 31st overall by the Washington Freedom.

“I have always been interested in the university and the program,” Schott said of the George Fox position. “This is a very strong academic school and an institution that sets its people up for success. I am thankful to Adam Puckett and Elise Trask for giving me their time in the hiring process, for being so welcoming throughout, and for giving me the opportunity to be a part of the program.”

After a successful stint as a player, Schott transitioned to coaching and has worked with the Portland Thorns Development Academy, FC Portland, Portland State, U.S. Soccer, and Formation Sports to help grow the game and train elite women and girls’ soccer athletes.

At Portland State, Schott was a two-time Big Sky Coach of the Year (2009, 2013) and coached her teams to four regular-season titles, including three in a row from 2011 to 2013. She is the all-time leader in coaching wins for the Vikings, earning more than double her nearest challenger, and finished with a career record of 73-76-22 overall and a Big Sky record of 44-21-11.

Schott oversaw five winning seasons and earned one of her two Coach of the Year honors after guiding the Vikings to their best season in program history in 2013, finishing the year with a 12-4-3 overall record (.711 win rate), an undefeated Big Sky record of 8-0-1 (.944), and a Big Sky Tournament Championship berth after clinching the regular-season title.

Schott first joined the Vikings’ staff as an assistant in 2005 before taking over the helm of the program in 2008, and left for the Portland Thorns after the 2016 season. In her tenure as head coach with the Vikings, Schott coached 64 All-Big Sky athletes, two Big Sky offensive MVPs, two Big Sky defensive MVPs, two Keeper of the Year winners, three Golden Boot winners, one Newcomer of the Year, 97 Academic All-Big Sky athletes (3.20+ cumulative GPA), and two Big Sky Scholar-Athlete of the Year winners.

Schott currently works for the Portland Thorns Development Academy overseeing all aspects of their U14-U19 teams, including their college recruitment and placement program. She also runs her own business, Formation Sports, as an educational platform to grow the game.

Prior to working for the Thorns, Schott first worked for FC Portland as the director of girls’ programming and supervised all aspects of girls’ soccer for FC Portland, from training sessions to budgeting and staffing. She also spent four and half years with U.S. Soccer running training sessions and evaluating talent for the U.S. Soccer teams.

Schott is enshrined in the UC California-Berkeley Hall of Fame, holds school records at Cal for goals scored in her career and in a single season, and was also a finalist for the Hermann Trophy, given to the nation's top player, in 2001 as a junior. She was named named All-Pac-10 in each of her four seasons for lthe Golden Bears.

After graduating from Cal with a pair of bachelor’s degrees in political science and mass communications, Schott played professionally for the Washington Freedom of the WUSA in 2003, and for the California Storm of the WPSL in 2004. She made five international appearances, including four starts, as a member of the U.S. Senior Women’s National Team in 2001 at the Algarve Cup.

Schott scored a goal in the team's match against Norway during one of her five international caps. She also played for the U.S. U21 team and won the Nordic Cup, a victory that would now be equivalent to the U20 World Cup in today’s game.

Schott earned a master’s degree in education from Portland State in 2016 while coaching the Viking women’s soccer program. She is also a U.S. Soccer Federation ‘A’ License holder, only one step removed from the USSF Pro license. National ‘A’ Licensing focuses on recognizing the principles of the game, their technical applications, and how these principles influence positional, group and team organization. The course also examines player, team and game management issues as they relate to the senior level player.