March 12, 2012

ATHENS, Ga. --- Georgia soccer sophomore defender Nikki Hill helped the Canadian U20 squad to a runner-up finish at the CONCACAF tournament this past week in Panama, securing the squad a berth in the U20 women’s World Cup Aug. 18- Sept. 9 in Japan.

The top three teams out of CONCACAF qualified for the World Cup, including the champion United States, runner-up Canada, and third-place Mexico.

Hill and the Canadian U20s went 4-1 with wins over Haiti, Jamaica, and Mexico in the early rounds and a 6-0 win over Panama in the semifinals, before falling 2-1 to the United States in the finals. Against the U.S. yesterday, Canada led 1-0 with 15 minutes to play before surrendering two late goals.

Before the qualifying tournament, Hill attended a pre-tournament training camp with the U20 team in Costa Rica Feb. 13-27, after which she was awarded one of the 20 spots on the CONCACAF roster.

As Georgia’s starting left back in 2011, Hill played in all 21 games with 18 starts, and logged her first career goal vs. Ole Miss on Oct. 9 in Athens.