Career
Rafaelle played for the University of Mississippi during her college soccer career in the United States and spent the 2014 season playing for Houston Dash of the National Women"s Soccer League (NWSL). In January 2014 Rafaelle was picked in the second round of the 2014 NWSL College Draft by expansion team Houston Dash. After playing one season she was waived by Houston Dash, but Football Club Kansas City acquired her rights the following week.
In March 2015 Kansas City announced that Rafaelle would not play in the 2015 National Women"s Soccer League season as she was in training with her national team Brazil.
Rafaelle played for Brazil"s youth teams at the inaugural 2008 Fédération internationale de football association U-17 Women"s World Cup in New Zealand and the 2010 Fédération internationale de football association U-20 Women"s World Cup held in Germany. She started her first match for Brazil"s senior team in March 2012, against Canada.
In February 2015 Rafaelle was included in an 18-month residency programme intended to prepare Brazil"s national team for the 2015 Fédération internationale de football association Women"s World Cup in Canada and the 2016 Rio Olympics. At the 2015 Fédération internationale de football association Women"s World Cup, Rafaelle formed a makeshift center-back partnership with Mônica.
They kept clean sheets in all three matches as Brazil qualified from their group without conceding a goal.
In the second round match against Australia, Brazil exited the competition after losing 1–0. Rafaelle remained in Canada as part of the Brazilian selection for the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto. International goals.