Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Laurie Anne Hill Rozenel [1] | ||
Birth name | Laurie Anne Hill [2] | ||
Date of birth | [3] | February 11, 1970||
Place of birth | Los Angeles, California, United States | ||
Height | 5 ft 1 in (1.55 m) [4] | ||
Position(s) | Midfielder [4] | ||
College career | |||
Years | Team | Apps | ( Gls) |
1988–1991 | UC Santa Barbara | 74 | (27) |
International career | |||
Mexico |
Laurie Anne Hill Rozenel [5] (born 11 February 1970) is a retired footballer who played as a midfielder. Born in the United States, she represented the Mexico women's national team.
Hill was born on February 11, 1970, in Los Angeles, California, and was raised in the same area. [3] [4] Her mother was born in Mexico City, Mexico to American parents. [4] Hill attended the University of California, Santa Barbara and was a student-athlete on the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos women's soccer team. [6] [7] Hill became UC Santa Barbara's career leader in minutes played (6,422) and was named a three-time All American from 1989 through 1991. [8] [9] Following her UCSB career, she was inducted into the UC Santa Barbara Athletics Hall of Fame. [10]
Hill played for the Southern California Nitemares as a teenager. [11] After she graduated from UC Santa Barbara, she went to Japan to play professionally for a year before returning to Southern California. [4]
Hill rejoined the Nitemares in 1995 as they became a founding member of the USL W-League. [11] [12] For the 1995 W-League season, Hill was named the league's first MVP. [12] She also featured for the Sacramento Storm.
Following the 1999 Women's World Cup, Hill was selected to be a part of a travelling exhibition against the United States Women's National Team. [11] She would later be drafted to the Women's United Soccer Association's Philadelphia Charge in the 15th round of the 2000 WUSA Draft. [13] She quit playing soccer before the Charge played their first game after deciding to focus on a nursing career. [11] [14]
Hill, being American born and raised, attempted to join the United States women's national soccer team. [4] She never made an appearance for the team. [15]
After a series of changes in Mexican laws, Hill was eligible to attempt to join the Mexico women's national football team prior to the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup. [4] [6] After the Mexico national team played a scrimmage against the Sacramento Storm, Hill, who played for the Storm, approached the Mexican officials about joining the team. [16]
Hill was successful in joining the team for their first Women's World Cup appearance and was one of over half of the 20–player roster that had American ties. [17] Hill served as a co-captain for the team and appeared in all three group matches. [3] [18]
Hill was nicknamed "The Thrill" after her play on the field. [19] After soccer, she met her husband, Johnny, in the Summer 2001 and moved to Ireland. [11] She works in nursing and is a mother to three children. [11]