Rachel Goold - Goalkeeper 2000 - 2004
	2 time NSCAA All-Region 4x 1st Team All-ASC Freshman of the Year, 2001 3 time All-Tournament Team 3 time Academic All-ASC 2 time Regional Academic Team Hustlin' Cowgirl (2001) Team MVP (2004) HSU GK Records (Holds all of them)

Playing soccer for four years at Hardin-Simmons has been one of the most challenging, rewarding, and fun experiences in my life. I came from what I believed was a great club team, where all but three of my teammates went to division I schools. When I was first looking at schools I was a bit skeptical of HSU because it was so far from home and so small. However, once I came on a visit I fell in love with it right away. I can’t imagine what my college experience would have been like had I chosen any other school. It certainly would not have been so satisfying. At Hardin-Simmons you find the comfort of a friendly, family atmosphere and a competitive atmosphere that challenges you each day to become better. We get an incredible amount of support from our parents, fans, and staff. So much that we had a crowd of professors and staff members give us a special send off on the way to the 2004 regional semifinals.

As far as the coaching goes, Coach Wood is the best coach I have ever had. If you are a soccer player that doesn’t know much about tactics, techniques, and systems you will leave HSU with a thorough understanding of soccer and the many, many ways that it can be played. Coach Wood takes the time to develop each player technically and makes a personal investment in their lives. In addition, the girls are great. Some of the best friends I have ever made were my teammates.

The focus at Hardin-Simmons is not about living up to the amount of money you’re being given to play, because you simply aren’t given any. The focus is on the team, the players, and being the best we can be. Over the years HSU has been a women’s soccer powerhouse in the American Southwest Conference. But, the level of competition in the conference has also been rising over the years. Every game has become a test of skill, competitive savvy, teamwork, and heart. There are some very heated matches against some very intense rivals that become some of the most memorable victories (rarely losses) of your career. Yet, the program at HSU is good enough to nurture the necessary skills to rise up and conquer any challenge.

In my time at Hardin-Simmons we won three conference championships, went to two sweet sixteens, and managed to pull off the two biggest upsets in HSU soccer history. In my entire soccer career I have never enjoyed as many victories, had as much personal recognition, or learned so much about this game that I love as I did at Hardin-Simmons. You learn the type of important life lessons that will stay with you for life, because they become part of who you are. Four of the foundations of our program are pride, tradition, character, and commitment, at HSU you not only learn about what it means to have these things, you learn to live them.