Bethany Balcer

Bethany Catherine Balcer was born on March 7, 1997, in Hudsonville, Michigan. She played collegiate soccer at Spring Arbor University from 2015 to 2019, where she was a four-year starter on the varsity team. During her time there, the Cougars advanced to the NAIA Final Four every year, securing two national titles. Balcer was also recognized as a two-time NAIA national champion, a three-time NAIA national player of the year, and a four-time first-team All-American, becoming the university’s leading scorer.

Following her collegiate career, Balcer went undrafted but signed with Reign FC (later Seattle Reign FC) on a supplemental contract in 2019. This made her the first NAIA player to join an NWSL club. She made her NWSL debut on April 14, 2019, as a substitute against the Houston Dash, and scored her first professional goal a week later in her first home start against Orlando Pride. By the end of her rookie season, she was awarded the 2019 NWSL Rookie of the Year. Throughout her six seasons with the Reign, Balcer consistently led the club in scoring and contributed to their NWSL Shield win in 2022. She recorded 33 goals during her tenure with the Reign, ranking among the league’s top scorers.

In August 2024, Balcer was traded to Racing Louisville FC, where she made her debut five days later. She scored her first goal for Racing Louisville FC on September 14, 2024. Balcer has also represented the United States at the international level, earning her first call-up to the United States women’s national soccer team in December 2019 and making her international debut in November 2021 against Australia. She had previously been a member of the United States women’s national under-23 soccer team.