There were quite a few changes to the Orlando Pride line-up on Saturday night. Amongst those changes was the addition of rookie forward Rachel Hill, who made her NWSL debut when she earned the start in the match against the Boston Breakers.
Hill joined the Pride a few weeks ago, after graduating for the University of Connecticut. The Pride traded for the successful UConn striker after she was selected by the Portland Thorns in the 2017 NWSL draft. After settling into training, Hill said that she felt good about where she was at with the team.
“It’s good,” Hill said. “It’s a little bit of an adjustment, but everything is good.”
Hill was a very successful forward in college, scoring 61 goals in 89 games with the Huskies. She hopes to bring that offensive skill to the Pride, giving them more versatility and opportunity up front.
“I think it just gives us more opportunities going forward, give us a little bit more in that sense,” Hill said. “Breaking through their backline and just getting more chances up front.”
She delivered that on Saturday night. She played in the attacking midfield, starting alongside Marta and Camila with Jasmyne Spencer playing as a lone striker. She fought hard on every play, helping the Pride bring home the three points.
“She did great,” Jasmyne Spencer said after the match. “She was full of energy, she never quit, she challenged for every ball, and that’s exactly what we needed today to get the three points. Never give up, work hard for each other, and she was involved in every play when the ball went forward. She had a great debut today.”
Hill showed her commitment to the match on Saturday night. Her energy never faded. She fought for every chance she was given, and while she didn’t find her name on the scoresheet on Saturday night, she played a critical role in earning the win.
“The fact that she lasted 90 minutes and was still running at the end was a real bonus for us,” Head Coach Tom Sermanni said after the game. “We were looking at some changes we had to make to the team, and in training this week and last week there has been really energy from Rachel. And with her pace and ability to run behind teams, we thought that would be a good tactic for us to use tonight and bring her in there. Thought she would last 60 minutes, but she was still running strong after 90. I think that was a very, very good debut. Great debut. Very pleased with her.
