The best way to describe Rachel Hill's days at UConn playing for the Women's Soccer Team ? Consistent....Double figure goals in each of her four years in Storrs where she led the team in scoring her first three seasons. First Team All Conference every year and a two time All American by the time she finished as a Husky.
Hill arrived to Storrs from Rollinsford, New Hampshire....located in the southeast part of the state on the New Hampshire-Maine line and was a soccer star both at the club and high school levels. Playing for Seacoast United in club soccer, she won a pair of Super "Y" National Championships in 2009 and 2011. While attending Somersworth High School, Hill scored 151 goals, was named Team MVP all four years and named a First Team All New England Selection in 2011 and 2012. Next stop for Hill was a four year stay playing as a UConn Husky...
But just prior to her start in Storrs, Hill was named to the U.S.U-20 National Team that won the CONCACAF Championship where she played in all five games, starting four where Hill had a goal and 4 assists....
In her freshman year of 2013, Hill started all 20 games and wasted no time in making an impact...Goals in her first two games against BC and CCSU, a hat trick against Houston and a pair of assists in a win over Louisville in UConn's first season as an AAC School. 13 goals and 5 assists for a team high 31 points and 4 game winners in an 11-9 season where the Huskies lost to USF in the AAC Quarters, where Hill scored the lone goal for UConn. Her efforts as a freshman garnering first Team All Conference and Rookie Team Honors...Again US Women's Soccer invited her to play on the U-20 Team at the World Cup as a Sub....
The Sophomore season of 2014 would be the first of three straight years of success and NCAA Tournament berths...Hill again consistent with a 16 goal, 3 assist campaign with 5 game winners for the Huskies...scoring goals in the Huskies first three games and seven of the first eight as the Huskies went 14-5-5, 4-2-3 in league play and a Finals berth as Hill scored in both the Quarterfinal win over Tulsa and the Semifinal victory over UCF that helped UConn gain an NCAA berth...Beating New Hampshire in Round one, then losing at Penn State in Round Two.....Hill named First Team All AAC once again as well as the League's Co-Offensive Player of the Year.
2015 would be another solid year for Rachel Hill....Opening the season with a pair of goals against Colgate, score goals in back to back games twice...Two goals in the AAC Tournament Quarters against East Carolina, then a goal in the OT Semi's loss to Cincinnati...Again in the NCAA's, Hill a goal and assist in the opening game win over Siena and both goals in a 2-0 win over Notre Dame to advance to the round of 16. Hill again with a team high 16 goals and 4 assists with 6 game winners to once again earn AAC Co-Offensive Player of the Year, First Team All Conference and with teammate Stephanie Riberio, were named All Americans in 2015..Hill also became the first Husky in a decade to join UConn's 100 point club...the program's 10th member...
Hill a forward her first three seasons at UConn, now was moved to midfield, but it didn't change what she did as a goal scorer...But Riberio had an amazing as well...Steph with a 21 goal, 56 point season, while Hill again rock solid with her third straight 16 goal season...along with 6 assists and 6 game winners. While Riberio was named the AAC Offensive POY, Hill was named the league's Midfielder of the Year..Both First Teamers in the league. The Huskies would win the AAC Tournament, beating SMU in the Championship Game 1-0, where Hill scored the games lone goal and over three games was named the Tourney MOP for the second time in three seasons...Hill added a goal and assist in the opening round NCAA Tournament win over Albany before a loss to Auburn ended her NCAA Career. Hill named a 2nd Team All American while Riberio was named a first team honoree...
In her four seasons at UConn, Rachel Hill finished second in program history with 61 goals and 4th in points with 140......Hill was the 14th pick of Portland in the 2014 NWSL College Draft, but her stay was short lived as her rights were traded to the Orlando Pride. In three seasons, Hill battled injuries but scored 11 goals for the Pride, then this past January was sent to Chicago in a trade....Where in the "bubble" in Utah as part of the return to sports in the midst of a pandemic, Hill a goal in 7 games where Chicago made the final...But Hill also criticized in the wake of social injustice...In Chicago's opening game, Hill stood for the National Anthem, but a hand was placed on the shoulder of teammate with her head down...Hill explaining she stood to honor family in the military, yet with her other actions, was in full support of the BLM movement and her teammates. As she was quoted after the season, it leaded to a lot of great conversations with her teammates....
Today while representing Chicago of the NWSL, Rachel Hill plays in Sweden in their top Women's Pro League for Linkopings FC...
A consistent goal scoring machine in Storrs, an All American and a UConn Legend...Women's Soccer Player Rachel Hill...