One-time Windsor local picks up coach job
Rachel Constantini was destined for athletic accomplishment growing up a respected Sonoma County soccer player.
“I always felt very supported by my community, and I always felt like I had great, strong leaders, especially in my coaches, that really pushed me to follow my dreams and achieve my goals,” she said.
Constantini, a 27-year-old former resident of Windsor, and a Healdsburg High School graduate, took over the position as Interim Head Women’s Soccer Coach at William Jessup University in Rocklin for the fall 2016 season. She previously attended the university from 2008 to 2011 on a soccer scholarship, playing on the women’s soccer team, appearing in 67 games. Constantini then transferred to Concordia University in Irvine for her master’s degree in coaching and athletic administration.
The Interim Head Women’s Coach job, which she accepted on July 8, goes beyond teaching the skills involved in playing the game.
“I’ll also be serving as kind of like a mentor for them on the field and off the field,” Constantini said. “And also because it’s a Christian college, I’ll be kind of a mentor for them spiritually also.”
Constantini grew up in a supportive household, playing competitive soccer from age 9. “Growing up, I played for Sonoma County Alliance and Santa Rosa United,” she said. She played Class One, the most competitive league, starting at age 13. Constantini often played on indoor teams, especially after college, but she hasn’t been on the field recently due to a back surgery in November. Constantini said she was eager to begin playing again, saying, “I started playing when I was 4, and I fell in love with it.”
The William Jessup University women’s soccer team begins practicing on Aug. 8, and will play its first game Aug. 22 against the College of Idaho. Constantini’s sister, who just graduated from Windsor High School, will be playing for UC Merced against William Jessup University on Sept. 19. The games are available for public spectators, and they are free of admission.
William Jessup University is also holding a soccer camp for youth players. Constantini will observe the students and provide coaching, her way of paying it forward for all the years she got support during her athletic education.
“I always felt like they invested a lot of energy and resources to women’s soccer,” she said, referring to the women’s soccer programs in California, specifically Sonoma County. “I think coming from a small community, that you feel like it’s more than just your family supporting you; it’s your whole community is supportive of you. I had such amazing coaches at Healdsburg High and at all levels of soccer in Sonoma County that I feel like they really inspired me to kind of go after this dream of mine to be a collegiate coach and influence young athletes like they influenced me.”
