Rachel Blakesley wears No. 13 for the Iowa soccer team.

She came close to not wearing a number at all for the Hawkeyes — or any other team, for that matter.

The No. 13 has donned Blakesley’s soccer uniforms since she began playing the sport as a kid. A senior at Notre Dame High School in Peoria, Ill., she contemplated moving on with life after soccer as she began the college selection process.

“Basically, I decided to chose a school first based on academics,” said Blakesley, a National Honor Society member. “I decided to come to Iowa because it had more qualities that I really appreciated. I like the hometown feeling. It reminds me of Peoria.”

The pre-business major considered schools such as Creighton and Missouri along with Iowa to continue her education. She settled on Iowa, then at the same time realized she wasn’t ready to retire from soccer just yet.

“It wasn’t so much giving up soccer, it was just I had to question whether or not I was willing to commit to all the responsibilities that came with being a D-I athlete,” she said. “My senior year, I just decided that I love the game too much and that I was willing to go through all that work and effort. I put a lot of work into summer training, so I came here ready to play.”

However, Blakesley’s late decision meant there were no open scholarships left on Iowa coach Ron Rainey’s team, so the midfielder walked on to the team in 2008. Rainey was delighted to have her, and Blakesley started all 21 games for the Hawkeyes as a freshman.

“Rachel is a tremendous athlete,” Rainey said. “But not only that, she plays so hard every single day, in practice and in games, that she forces people into uncomfortable situations. She did that last year as a freshman. I think she’s even stepped up another level as a sophomore, and we have high expectations for her the rest of the season.”

A stellar freshman season earned Blakesley a scholarship. She didn’t mind paying for school last year even though she was a starter — getting to play was satisfaction enough.

“Money doesn’t mean everything,” she said. “I just came out here wanting to play. I actually ended up getting a lot of playing time and being pretty successful, so that turned out for the best. I honestly didn’t really care, I just wanted to go out there and contribute as much as I could.”

She has yet to record a goal or assist and has only taken four shots as a Hawkeye, but according to sophomore midfielder Sarah Langlas, Blakesley supplies an infectious attitude on and off the field.

“She brings her positive attitude and a team spirit,” Langlas said. “She’s always smiling and excited to play. It’s a really contagious attitude to have that on the team.”

Langlas is more than just a teammate to Blakesley, though. The two are roommates, which has created a relationship that they both enjoy.

“Living with her is great,” Langlas said. “It’s one of those things where we can go really hard in practice, and she’ll take me out, and we’ll go home and be laughing about it in the car. She’s always there to support me.”

After everything, Blakesley is grateful she is sporting No. 13 for Iowa. And so is her team.

“It’s weird to think that we both could’ve been at different places right now,” Langlas said. “I’m just really glad at how things worked out. I love Iowa, and I love soccer, and Rachel’s a big part of that for me and I know for a lot of other girls on the team, too.”