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PROFILE

CRAIG HILL
GRADUATION: MAY 2006

GOALKEEPER

Ronald Reagan High
San Antonio TX


JERSEY 00
HEIGHT 6-3
WEIGHT 175
DOB 12/27/87


ATHLETICS


23 Career shutouts with 40 starts (spring '02-spring '05)
GAA: 1.12 (spring 2002 - spring 2005)
USYSNC State Playoffs 2003 87 XLR8
USYSNC State Playoffs '05 87 Hammers Blue
U19 Champions - Lonestar Showdown Fall 2004 Hammers
U19 Semi-finals Plano Labor Day, Fall 2004 Hammers
U19 Finals Classic Youth Cup Fall 2004, Hammers
4-yr Varsity letterman, 2 yr starter
1st Team All District 2005
T.A.S.C.O. All Region, Region IV 2005
San Antonio Express News Newcomer of the Year 2005
2003 Texas UIL Regional Finalist
2004 Texas UIL State Finalist
Varsity Team Captain 2 yrs

ACADEMICS

Pre A/P Science (biology, chemistry)
Pre A/P Math (algebra, geometry, precalculus)
Dual Credit Anatomy and Physiology
A/P Statistics
Volunteer Trainer Academy teams Bulverde Youth Soccer Assoc.
3.1 GPA through Junior Year
Scored 1510 on New SAT

COLLEGE
PREFERENCES


I have given my verbal commitment to Southern Methodist University. I hope that I can help the team stay successful and win a national championship while I'm there. My academic plans are to study engineering. My ultimate goal would be to play professionally in Europe.

Another article on Craig Hill. His official signing has not yet been announced.

Soccer: SMU-bound keeper looks to get Reagan back on course.

Web Posted: 01/12/2006 12:00 AM CST
Lorne Chan
Express-News Staff Writer

It took a club soccer match in May before Reagan goalkeeper Craig Hill realized that his short career was about to take off.

The Texas Lonestars, one of the top club teams in South Texas, were firing at Hill. Shot after shot he saved. An open 10-footer didn't have a chance against Hill.

"They were a good team and kept getting chances on me," Hill said. "I was able to dig a few saves out and everything went up from there."

After the game, SMU recruited Hill and he committed in October. The Lonestars were impressed enough with the opposing goalkeeper that day that they invited Hill to join their team after the season.

First on his agenda, however, are some matters to settle at Reagan. UIL regular-season play begins today, and Reagan is looking to return to the top of District 26-5A after missing the playoffs last season.

The Rattlers return 20 lettermen from last year's team, and a return to the state tournament is their goal.

The Rattlers won the Class 5A state title in 2003 and reached the final in 2004, but lost 23 seniors and 10 starters from that team. Despite Hill's 143 saves, Reagan finished 9-7-6 last season and half a game out of the playoffs.

"Every time I turned around, Craig was getting peppered," Reagan coach Walter Rule said. "Great for his highlight film, bad for us."

As the young Reagan team struggled, Hill emerged as a leader. Forwards could hear him yelling instructions from his net and trying to motivate his teammates.

"He's definitely the vocal leader," senior Trey Martin said. "We want to step it up knowing the level he's playing at, and it helps us to know how confident he is in net."

Hill finished with a 1.25 goals-against average, fourth-best in the district. But his acrobatic saves kept Reagan alive in many games, and he was named the Express-News Newcomer of the Year.

He was also honored as an All-American by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, one of seven goalkeepers in the nation picked to the elite team.

It's an honor gained in part through eye-opening plays. Rule and the players still fondly remember a save Hill made against Lee last season, leaping to grab a 20-yard volley to the upper-right corner of the net.

"I don't know how he does stuff like that," senior Andrew Bland said. "He's so quick that on shots most keepers try to tip away, Craig's ready to catch it."

Hill's 6-foot-3, 173-pound frame helps him reach many shots, but Rule points to Hill's dedication as the difference. He faces 200-300 shots a week in practice, and spends hours at a time juggling a ball in his bedroom.

"The game just slows down for me sometimes," Hill said. "I think of the worst possible thing that could happen to hurt us, and if someone tries it, I'm ready."

He spends his summers going to camps to improve his game, and joined the Lonestars club team even though it's based in Austin. Hill drives up three times a week for practices.

"That shows his commitment," Lonestars coach Sean Bubb said. "He keeps improving, and at this rate Craig could even play professionally in America or overseas. Very few can do that."

The English premier league is Hill's dream destination, and SMU is his dream school. The Mustangs reached the NCAA semifinals last year, its third College Cup appearance since 2000.

"Getting a scholarship to SMU is like a football player committing to Texas or USC," senior Nathan Shaw-Meadow said. "It's a great opportunity and shows how talented he is."



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