In the storied history of Cal State Fullerton women's soccer, only one student-athlete has been selected a consensus first team All-American, her name is Rebecca "Becca" Wilson.
Blessed with a wry sense of humor, and a toothpaste-ad smile, Wilson was a fan favorite in her years with the Titans (2011-2015), and was known for playing with a reckless abandon, and a seemingly complete disregard for her body as she hurtled across the soccer pitch. Injuries would naturally ensue, but Becca would never allow herself to back down or play scared.
After attending nearby El Dorado High School in Placentia, Becca was recruited by Titan head coach, Demian Brown, and his then-assistant, Diego Bocanegra, who were also her club coaches with the Fullerton Rangers.
Becca describes her recruiting decision: "Well, to be honest, I'm a bit of a home body. For personal reasons I felt the need to stay close to my mom at the time. Another huge reason that I signed with Fullerton was because of Demian. I knew and appreciated his coaching style. Chelsey Patterson was also signing with Fullerton, and 'Chels' and I had been playing together since we were kids.
"All of these factors combined to create the perfect environment to play the game that I love. If it wasn't for soccer, I wouldn't have gone to college. School and I weren't the best of friends," she said with a laugh.
Note: Despite Becca's seeming aversion to scholastics, she was selected to the Big West All-Academic team three times. These dualities are part of Wilson's charm and personality. She can be the most serious person in the room, or a natural cut-up.
Becca provided an immediate offensive spark during her freshman and sophomore seasons, and was poised to push the envelope in 2013 when a foot fracture at Texas Tech prematurely ended her season. Fortunately, the injury took place early in the sixth game of the season, allowing Wilson to redshirt.
"I hated being injured. I hated sitting on the sidelines and watching, but it did offer a unique opportunity to observe the dynamics of the team and to develop my mental chess game, if you will.
"I started to see the game through a new lens. I could see plays and spaces that I wasn't able to see being on the pitch, but from the sidelines it showed me what I was missing. Like the last piece of a puzzle that I had been searching for."
2014 saw her return from injury, and Becca came back on a tear. Pairing with midfielder, Christina Burkenroad, for two seasons they provided a lethal 1-2 punch for the Titans who would go on to win the Big West Conference Tournament in back-to-back seasons, qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. Wilson was named Big West Offensive Player of the Year in 2014 and 2015.
"'Burky' and I had so many incredible moments on the pitch. We just understood each other, and we were always on the same page, the same wavelength.
"Playing with her (Burkenroad) was incredibly fun. It was almost as if we had this telepathic connection on the pitch. Looking back, we were such a power combo. We complimented each other so well. When I couldn't score because I was being heavily marked, it freed her up so that I was able to return the many, many assists she had gifted me. Incredible memories!"
Coach Brown had this to say about his time with Wilson: "Becca was an amazing student-athlete. Her competitiveness and will to win had a massive impact on our program's success. Her determination, matched with her fun-loving spirit made her a joy to coach, and exciting to watch."
Looking back at her Titan career, Becca remembers her best times as just hanging around the locker room, the weight room, or on the pitch with her friends and teammates. "The women I played with were all incredible, and I felt I had a connection with each of them in our own way.
"Playing with 'Chels' (Chelsey Patterson) for over a decade was incredible. She's my 'sister from another mister.' Demian and I had a great working relationship. I had played for him for so long that he knew the kind of coaching I needed, so it was always great to be guided by him.
"So many amazing memories. I would say the one that stands out in my mind the most was the time I did a front flip over the UCSB keeper. That was pretty wild."
During her senior season, injuries, particularly multiple concussions, began to take their toll. Wilson played the latter part of that year with a soft, rugby-style helmet strapped to her head.
When it came time for the NWSL draft, Wilson bowed to her multiple injuries and decided to opt out, even though she had been selected as an All-American and was likely to be drafted. Wilson said, "Whether I made the 'right' choice I'll never know. But I'll tell you this, there are some days I find myself wondering 'what if?' I'll leave it at that."
After receiving her degree in Criminal Justice, Becca chose not to pursue a career in law enforcement. "I still wanted to serve and protect my community, so I found the fire service. I work for the Orange County Fire Authority, and I've been with the department for two years now."
Honors
- B.S., Criminal Justice, Cal State Fullerton – 2015
- NSCAA All-American, First Team – 2015
- NSCAA All-West Region, First Team – 2015
- NSCAA All-West Region, Second Team – 2014
- Senior C.L.A.S.S. Award - 2015
- Big West Conference Offensive Player of the Year – 2014, 2015
- All-Big West Conference, First Team – 2014, 2015
- All-Big West Conference, Honorable Mention – 2012
- Big West Conference, All-Academic – 2012, 2014, 2015
- NCAA Tournament Appearance – 2014, 2015
- Big West Tournament Champions – 2014, 2015
- Big West Regular Season Champions – 2012, 2014
- Big West, All-Academic – 2012. 2014, 2015
CSUF Women's Soccer Career Records
- #1 – Game Winning Goals – 15
- #1 – Penalty Kicks Made - 4
- #2 – Total Points – 87 (34 goals / 19 assists)
- #2 – Shots – 218
- #2 – Assists – 19
- #3 – Goals – 34
- #4 – Points per Match – 1.06
- #4 – Goals per Match – 0.41
- #4 – Shots per Match – 2.66
- #5 – Games Played – 82
- #7 – Assists per Game – 0.231