Though women’s soccer is in its offseason, two UConn Huskies have had a busy month on the pitch.
Freshman forward Rachel Hill and sophomore defender Liana Hinds received the honor of representing their countries on the international stage, competing in the 2014 CONCACAF Women’s U-20 Championship, held Jan. 9-19 in the Cayman Islands. Hill, a member of the United States team, and Hinds, playing for Trinidad & Tobago, both aided their teams through the group stages and into the final rounds.
The United States emerged from Group A undefeated, shutting out each opponent (Costa Rica, Jamaica and Guatemala) to earn a perfect nine points and the top overall seed in the semifinals. Trinidad & Tobago took second in Group B, totaling six points and falling only to Mexico. Thanks to the group performances, Hill and Hinds found themselves in an unusual position on Jan. 17: facing each other in the second semifinal of the Championship.
Hill, playing at midfield for the USWNT, notched an assist in what turned out to be a one-sided matchup. The United States defeated Trinidad 6-0, advancing to its third-straight CONCACAF Championship game.
On Jan. 19, the Americans sealed the deal, defeating Mexico to take the Championship by a 4-0 margin. The win marked the U.S.’s fourth title in the event and third consecutive. In the third-place match, Trinidad fell to Costa Rica, 7-3.
Prior to the third-place showdown, Hinds summed up her experience with her Trinidad team.
“I am enjoying it a lot, as it’s fun and exciting to be back playing with the team. I think we’ve been doing really well as we defeated Honduras and Cayman [Islands] and I think we have been doing what the coach has asked us to do. So whatever happens, it was just a great experience overall.”
With their appearance in the final, the United States qualified for the 2014 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, which will be staged throughout Canada Aug. 5-24.
Hill, a First Team All-Conference and All-Rookie Team honoree, was selected by head coach Michelle French as a member of the U-20 squad after participating in the team’s training camp in November. She was a mainstay in the U.S.’s lineup, and is expected to continue on and compete in the World Cup.
“There were some players coming into the tournament that we didn’t know how much time they were going to get or how much they would contribute,” said French. “But, as I’ve said throughout this tournament, every single player contributed in some aspect to help us become successful, so not only did they grow as a team, but individually [as well].”