2016: First Team all-Sun Belt Conference… Ranked second on the team in goals (8) and points (18), and was sixth in goals and seventh in points per game in the league… Put half of her 48 shots on net… Three of her eight goals were game winners, including in back-to-back games vs. Coastal Carolina (10/16) and Georgia State (10/21)… Also provided the match winner vs. Jacksonville State (8/26)… Scored a brace against Jacksonville State and Georgia Southern (9/18)… Recorded a goal and an assist vs. Coastal Carolina and in the Sun Belt Tournament vs. Appalachian State (11/4).
2015: Sun Belt Conference all-Tournament Team… Made 14 starts, including the last 12 games of the season, and appeared in all 23 games… Ranked fourth on the team with seven goals and fifth in points with 16… Tied for 10th in the Sun Belt in goals and tied for third in game-winning goals (3)… Scored two goals in the Sun Belt Tournament, including the game-winner in the championship game vs. Georgia State (11/8), for five points… Also found the net in the NCAA Tournament vs. LSU (11/14)… Six of seven goals came against Sun Belt competition and in the postseason… Recorded match-winner in double overtime at Louisiana-Lafayette (10/2) and accounted for only goal from the penalty spot in 1-0 win at Georgia Southern (10/18)… Answered early second-half goal by Texas State (10/11) in less than two minutes to tie the game at 1-1 in a 2-1 victory.
2014: First-Team all-Sun Belt Conference… All-Sun Belt Tournament Team… Ranked second on the team in goals (12) and points (32), and topped squad with eight assists… Was third in the league with 1.39 points and 0.52 goals per game, and sixth in assists per match (0.35)… Goal total (12) is tied for seventh in school history and her point total (32) is eighth… Three of her eight assists came on match-winning goals… Had two multi-goal matches, including a brace vs. Georgia Southern (11/7) in the semifinals of the Sun Belt Tournament… Also scored a brace vs. Southern (9/7) and added two assists for a career-high six points… Recorded nine points in a two-game span with a goal and an assist vs. Southern Mississippi (9/5) and six-point outing at Southern… Gave out assists in three straight contests, and in four of five outings during Sun Belt season… Had at least one point in all but two league matches and had a streak of six in a row to open Sun Belt play, including seven points in the first three… Tallied game-winning goal and added an assist in win over Louisiana-Monroe (10/3)… Closed regular season with goals in last two matches, notching game-winner at Little Rock (10/26)… Went 2-for-2 on penalty kicks.
High School: Graduate of Stainburn School and Science College… Reached the round of 16 of the school’s FA Cup… Played for England Colleges U-19 team and twice went on a tour of Estonia.
Club: Played three years for Blackburn Rovers Ladies.
Personal: Full name is Rio Hardy… Born June 29, 1996 in Cumbria, England… Daughter of Steven and Corrine Hardy… Has a twin sister, Steffi, on the USA soccer team… Main hobby is soccer… Chose South Alabama because she liked the coaches and the top standard of soccer… Favorites – movies: The Harry Potter series; book: Noughts and Crosses series by Malorie Blackman; pro team: Manchester United; athletes: Cristiano Ronaldo and Paul Scholes; musical artist: Chris Brown; foods: steak, pasta, chicken and ice cream; class: physical education… Likes sports, and spending time with her family, and dislikes wasps… Listens to music to get pumped before a game… The best part of playing sports is scoring goals and winning… Celebrities she’d like to meet are Chris Brown, Thierry Henry and Ronaldo… Five-year goal is to play soccer professionally, and 10-year goal is to either play or work in soccer… Three wishes: free food, play for England and more wishes.
Major: Physical education
