In January, following the 2017 NWSL Draft, the Orlando Pride traded the Portland Thorns for the rights to rookie Rachel Hill. Hill, a 21-year-old forward out of University of Connecticut, was signed to a contract with the Pride when she joined camp this week.
“Rachel was a player we scouted heavily and rated very highly going into draft day,” Orlando Pride Head Coach Tom Sermanni said back in January. “While we weren’t able to trade up to draft her, we’re happy we were able to make this deal work to bring another goal-scoring option to the roster.”
As previously mentioned, Hill is a forward and could help bolster the Pride’s offense. She scored a total of 61 goals in 89 matches for UConn over the course of her college career. She ranks second all-time in career goals for the University of Connecticut.
The Pride have found their footing in the last two matches, scoring three in their victory over North Carolina and another one against the Seattle Reign. But Hill could provide a great rookie boost, especially playing in the front alongside someone like Marta.
University of Connecticut prospects have a good history with the organization. Orlando City’s top goal-scorer, Cyle Larin, was drafted #1 by Orlando in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft. He came out of the UConn soccer program.
Hill didn’t make an appearance in the match against Seattle, but will be more prepared to take the pitch on Saturday after a week of training with the team. The Pride will be traveling to New Jersey this weekend to take on Sky Blue FC. The match will air on go90.com and will kickoff at 7:00pm.
