South Africa's legendary goalscorer Pietie Coetzee carries a little slip of paper in her stick bag. Scribbled on it is the name of the world's all-time leading goalscorer, Natella Krasnikova of Russia, and her tally of 220 goals, writes Jon Cook.
"I keep it in my stick bag, so whenever I take a stick out it motivates and reminds me of my mission," says the tall striker in between Wednesday's training sessions at the national camp taking place at the University of Free State Hockey Centre in Bloemfontein this week.
"I'm chasing that record," the Kaspersky Southern Gauteng striker says with a glint in her eye.
The scorer of a phenomenal 201 goals in 203 Test matches will have the opportunity to bring that record a bit closer when South Africa tackle 2010 world champions Argentina in a five-Test series in Bloemfontein from December 12 to 17.
And who knows how far the Bloemfontein-born Coetzee would have been ahead of that record had she not retired from international hockey for five years while at the peak of her powers.
Virginia Beach in the USA circa 2005 was her last outing in the green and gold before a triumphant comeback for the 32-year-old in 2010 when she was South Africa's leading goalscorer at the World Cup in Argentina three months ago and forced the hockey world to take notice again.
Just a month later, the free-ranging forward stamped her authority on the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India when she scored her 200th international goal in her 200th Test match.
"I was hoping the goal would come earlier so I was a bit anxious and when I scored against India it was a relief in that finally I could move on," she says.
World number 12 South Africa's 10th place at the World Cup and narrowly missing out on a medal in Delhi underlines why head coach Giles Bonnet is so "delighted that Pietie's back".
"She is constantly challenging herself, trying new things and is simply loving life again, and it's showing in her hunger for more goals," said the Amsterdam-based Bonnet.
And what would the former SA men's captain and coach give if his talismanic striker rockets in a few more to upset the world champions, a feat SA has never achieved before?
"You can't put a price on that," the head coach says with a wistful smile.
Source: SA Hockey Media Release
