Heather Hilliard and the Fairytale of '89

The crowd stormed the field while Hilliard and the Tritons were left defeated once again at the NCAA National Championship game, this time completely devastated.

The next year was different, Hilliard recalls. The Tritons had more motivation than ever before to make it to the end and become the first-ever UC San Diego women’s soccer team to win it all. The news came that UC San Diego was hosting the tournament, and there was no stopping them from taking what they longed for… a 1989 National Championship crown. 

“We advanced to the final and we won it the exact way we lost it the year before. Triple overtime, golden goal, except we came out on the good side,” Hilliard recalls. “Our fans crashed the field. The only way you can describe it is like a fairytale.”

Being a part of the first-ever women’s soccer team to win a National Championship at UC San Diego was an honor for Hilliard and the rest of the group. Hilliard currently holds the record for most goals in program history at UC San Diego, with a total of 70 goals from 1986 to 1989. She is ranked first in career points at 169, second in single-season goals at 23, and second in single-season points at 56 (both in 1989). These records resulted in Hilliard being inducted into the UC San Diego Hall of Fame in 2018. 

“Being inducted into the Hall of Fame was such an incredible honor and to share it with many of my teammates (the 89ers), Brian, family, and friends made the recognition very special and unforgettable,” Hilliard reflected. “For me it was always about my teammates and coaches. I played for the love and respect of them and I would have never received the Hall of Fame recognition if it was not for them.”

While the wins were incredibly memorable, the relationships she made with her teammates over the four years were ones that would last a lifetime. Hilliard explained how she is still in touch with almost all of them; they attended each other’s weddings and the births of each other’s children. 

“Those four years were… pretty magical. Those girls became my lifelong friends, sisters… so much more than teammates,” explained Hilliard. “When I look back on it all, I mean, obviously we had a lot of wins back in those days but really it's not the wins and losses that I remember at my time at UC San Diego; it's these friendships that I created with those girls.” 

Following her last year at UC San Diego, Hilliard felt as though she was not done yet with her involvement in athletics. She went on to become UC San Diego’s Assistant Athletics Director, and remained so for 10 years. When she had her first daughter, Stephanie, she resigned from the position to spend more time at home. 

Shortly after that came the birth of her second daughter, Courtney, and Heather got her daughters into soccer at a young age. She coached both of them at a recreational level, but it wasn’t long before her coaching career went to the next level.

Hilliard coached at Carlsbad Lightning Soccer Club where her daughters played, and eventually became Director of Recreation. Four years ago she switched clubs to La Jolla Impact, where she works as the Executive Director and Coach alongside none other than her very own coach from back in the day, Brian McManus. 

From being coached by McManus to coaching with him, Hilliard describes her experience as something truly unique and special. 

“He instilled so much in me on what it means to create a team, a family, hard work… leadership, accountability, teamwork, and to never give up on my dreams,” Hilliard reflected. “I respect him so much and to work with him really is an honor.”

From playing all four years of college soccer with the Tritons, to working with the UC San Diego Athletics Department, and now coaching with McManus and Kristin Jones at La Jolla Impact, it is safe to say that Hilliard is one of the most prominent women in the UC San Diego soccer community, as well as the San Diego soccer community as a whole. 

Hilliard is humbled by her experiences, and acknowledges that without her parents, none of it could have happened. 

“My parents had the most profound impact on it all,” Hilliard said. “I am so incredibly blessed to have two incredible parents. Without their love and support through all of this, none of it could have been possible.” 

Hilliard is paying it forward, as she plans to continue her career as Executive Director and Coach with La Jolla Impact soccer club. She enjoys getting to work doing something she loves every day with people she loves as well. 

Hilliard strives to continue being a role model for young female soccer players and motivate them to never give up on their dreams, just as her coaches did for her. 

Her goal? To see the players she coaches live out their own fairytales the same way she lived out hers. 

Sophia Garrido is a redshirt sophomore on the UC San Diego women's soccer team and an intern with UC San Diego Athletics Communications. 

About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program begins a new era in 2020 as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 37 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.