| Rachel Pace | |
| Fullname: | Rachel Anne Pace |
| Birth Date: | 2001 6, mf=y |
| Birth Place: | American Fork, Utah, U.S. |
| Position: | Midfielder |
| Currentclub: | Dallas Trinity FC |
| Clubnumber: | 33 |
| Youthclubs1: | Utah Celtic FC |
| Collegeyears1: | 2019–2023 |
| College1: | BYU Cougars |
| Collegecaps1: | 101 |
| Collegegoals1: | 21 |
| Years1: | 2022 |
| Clubs1: | Indy Eleven |
| Caps1: | 8 |
| Goals1: | 2 |
| Years2: | 2024 |
| Clubs2: | ETO FC Győr |
| Caps2: | 9 |
| Goals2: | 5 |
| Years3: | 2024– |
| Clubs3: | Dallas Trinity FC |
| Caps3: | 1 |
| Goals3: | 0 |
| Club-Update: | November 2, 2024 |
Rachel Pace (née McCarthy, born June 10, 2001)[1] is an American professional soccer player from American Fork, Utah who currently plays as midfielder for the Dallas Trinity FC in the USL Super League.
Pace was born in American Fork, Utah, and attended American Fork High School. In 2017, she and Jamie Shepherd (classmate and future BYU teammate) won the state 6A High School championship.[2] Pace played youth club soccer with Utah Celtic FC, and was part of the team that won the 2019 U19 U.S. Youth Soccer National Championship series, the first Utah team in the competition's history to do so.[3]
Pace attended Brigham Young University, where she played as a midfielder and forward for the Cougars in both the West Coast Conference (WCC) and Big 12 Conference. Over her five seasons at BYU, the Cougars qualified for the NCAA Division I tournament each year, advancing to at least the quarter-finals in three of those seasons.
In total, Pace made 101 appearances for the Cougars, starting in 26 games. Known as a "super-sub" for the energy she brought off the bench, she had a standout moment in a match against top-ranked and defending NCAA champions, UCLA, contributing to BYU's 3–1 upset victory by scoring the team's second goal.[4]
Pace played a key role in helping the Cougars reach the final of the 2021 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Tournament, where they finished as runners-up.
In 2023, during her final year, BYU transitioned to the Big 12 Conference. Pace helped lead the Cougars to the finals of the 2023 Big 12 tournament, where they lost 1–3 to the Texas. In the quarterfinals of the 2023 NCAA Division I tournament, Pace came off the bench in the second half, with BYU trailing 3–0 to North Carolina. Her introduction coincided with a dramatic comeback, as BYU scored four goals in the final 29 minutes to secure a 4–3 victory and advance to the College Cup for the second time in program history.https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/38973271
The Indy Eleven announced that Pace would be joining the club on April 25, 2022, the same day her older sister, Robyn, also joined the club.[5] The 2022 USL W League season was the first season of USL W League. Indy Eleven won the very first game in league history, defeating Kings Hammer FC 3–1 on May 6, 2022. Pace scored the first two goals making her the first player in team and league history with a goal and a brace.[6] [7] [8] Indy Eleven went undefeated in the regular season but lost to Minnesota Aurora FC in the league's playoffs in July 2023.
After going undrafted in the 2024 NWSL Draft, McCarthy signed with Hungarian side ETO FC Győr in February 2024 for the remainder of the 2023–24 season.[9] She made her professional debut on March 2, 2024 coming on as a substitute in the 55th minute in a 2–0 home victory over Diósgyőri VTK.[10]
On March 6, 2024, Pace scored two goals in the first-half of a Hungarian Women's Cup match against Budapest Honvéd FC, which was also her first professional goal and brace.[11] Pace got her second brace in a league match on May 5, 2024, in a 4–1 home win over Puskás Akadémia FC.[12] On April 25, 2024, she started in the final of the Hungarian Women's Cup, helping Győr secure their third consecutive title.[13]
Győr finished runners-up in the Női NB I league for the third consecutive season, finishing just four points behind league winners, Ferencvárosi TC.[14]
On June 18, 2024, Pace joined Dallas Trinity FC in preparation for the inaugural USL Super League season.[15] Pace made her club debut as a substitute, replacing Allie Thornton in the 88th minute.
| College team | Season | Regular season | Conference Tournament | NCAA Tournament | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conference | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| BYU Cougars | 2019 | WCC | 18 | 1 | — | 2 | 0 | 20 | 1 | ||
| 2020–21 | 15 | 9 | — | — | 15 | 9 | |||||
| 2021 | 18 | 4 | — | 6 | 0 | 24 | 4 | ||||
| 2022 | 17 | 1 | — | 3 | 1 | 20 | 2 | ||||
| 2023 | Big 12 | 14 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 22 | 5 | ||
| Total | 86 | 20 | 3 | 0 | 16 | 1 | 101 | 21 | |||
| Club | Season | League | League Cup | Playoffs | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Indy Eleven[16] | 2022 | USL W League | 8 | 2 | — | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | ||
| ETO FC Győr | 2023–24 | NB I | 9 | 5 | 3 | 2 | — | 12 | 7 | ||
| Dallas Trinity FC | 2024–25 | USL Super League | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 18 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 9 | |||
Pace graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from BYU in December 2023. She has four siblings.[17] Her older sister, Robyn, also played college soccer at Fresno State.[18]
Indy Eleven
ETO FC Győr