OREM—Utah Valley University women's soccer standout
Hannah Bruce has signed a professional contract to play for Puerto Rico Sol based in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico.
"After my four seasons at UVU its really cool that I get to keep playing and really cool to continue my career in another country," said Bruce. "Going to Puerto Rico will be another adventure that I'm really looking forward to. I'm excited to meet different people from a different part of the world and keep playing the game that I love and see where that takes me."
Puerto Rico Sol plays in the Liga PR Femenina, the top women's league in Puerto Rico. It is one of the most successful women's programs in the Caribbean and Central America. The team went a perfect 21-0 last season and won the Liga PR Femenina championship. The team is already a perfect 3-0 this season. Sol plays its matches at Mayaguez Athletics Stadium.
Bruce's list of athletic accomplishments at UVU include a WAC Defensive Player of the Year award in 2017, first-team all-WAC honors in both 2017 and 2019, and second-team honors in 2018. She helped lead the Wolverines to a WAC Tournament title in 2017.
Bruce is a three-time all-WAC honoree and has earned multiple Academic All-WAC honors. She represented the Wolverines as the WAC representative at the 2019 NCAA Leadership Forum in Orlando this past summer. She earned Academic All-District honors earlier this month.
"We're thrilled for Hannah," said Utah Valley head coach
Chris Lemay. "She's a fantastic kid, a hard worker, and a great soccer player. She's well deserving of this contract. She's great both on the field and in the classroom as her perfect 4.0 GPA proves."
Bruce's work in the classroom has paid off as she has become a finalist to earn a Rhodes Scholarship at Oxford. She interviews for the opportunity this weekend and will find out if she's one of the few recipients to earn the honor.
"My experience at Utah Valley has prepared me for the opportunity to play soccer professionally," said Bruce. "It's also prepared me academically so that I can continue to pursue my education. Both are extremely important to me."
