From a young age of 4, Rainna fell in love with the game of soccer and has been going full-speed ever since.  Rainna has always been the type of kid that when she puts her mind to something, she generally succeeds if she tries hard enough!  She will work hard and she worked especially hard when it came to soccer.  Her dream from a young age was to play soccer in college.  There was never any question or doubt of what she was going to do. She didn’t know what she was going to college for, but she knew she was going to play somewhere!  Over the years, there have been celebrations, disappointments, coaches, teammates and injuries along the way.  Some injuries kept her out for periods of time, some didn’t.  All of the coaches and teammates she learned from…the highs and the lows…all these moments and memories made her who she is and the commitment, determination and loyalty that ran deep in her journey the last 12 years. 

Rainna’s commitment to UNK was another step in her soccer journey that Coach Jose and Danka and the Omaha United Club played a major roll in.  Going into her junior year in high school she knew that she needed to start the process of communicating with coaches about continuing to play soccer in college.  The college recruitment process is exciting and scary as an athlete and parent.  Getting offers whether in state or out of state takes time, research and lots of discussion.  She wanted to “just keep playing” and had to be reminded of the other reason to go to college – education. She needed to see the big picture. There were times that emails would be sent to a favorite school and no response would come back.  Sometimes the schools that reached out to her, they necessarily weren’t of interest to her.  It was exciting and frustrating for Rainna but the uncertainty of where to go was there, too.  Coaches Jose, Heather and Danka kept her pointed forward, encouraging her, teaching and guiding her.  Never allowing her to look past or not act on important opportunities that lay in front of her in her search.  With their direction and her hard work, she found the place she has worked so hard to get to!

We are thrilled that Rainna was able to find both dynamics at UNK.  Not only does the college have her program of study but she gets to play soccer!  She felt welcomed on campus and with the current women’s soccer team.  The support, communication and encouragement from current UNK players and coaches was simply amazing and cannot go without mention.  Having this type of support away from home will surely set her up for success in the classroom and on the field.  Verbally committing to UNK was an easy choice for Rainna once she saw the big picture.  We are ever so thankful to her coaches - Jose, Danka and Heather for their guidance and support over the years and her Omaha United Black 03 teammates – her family. Your support, excitement and encouragement allowed her to find her next soccer family at UNK. GO Lopers!


RAINNA'S CLUB COACH, JOSE VARGAS SAYS:

I have had the pleasure coaching Rainna for the last 7 years. It had been absolutely wonderful watching her grow as a play. She is not only a wonderful player, but just a great kid all around. I'm so happy for Rainna and her family. I know she will do great at UNK and we can't wait to watch her accomplish great things there. I know coach Roberts and UNK are getting a great goalkeeper but mostly an amazing person that we will miss having around next year. It's been a blessing being part of Rainna's journey.