Kennedy Bell
American soccer player (born 2005)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kennedy Bell (born 2005) is an American college soccer player who plays as a striker for the Michigan State Spartans. She previously played for the Maryland Terrapins. She was named the Big Ten Forward of the Year with the Spartans in 2025.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 2005 (age 20–21) | ||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Michigan State Spartans | ||
| Number | 24 | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2023–2024 | Maryland Terrapins | 36 | (3) |
| 2025– | Michigan State Spartans | 25 | (11) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2024–2025 | Carolina Ascent (USL W) | 6 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Early life
Bell grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina.[1] She began playing soccer as a kindergartener and decided to focus on the sport at age eight or nine.[2] She played club soccer for Charlotte Soccer Academy, serving as team captain and being named ECNL All-American and the Conference Co-Player of the Year in 2022.[1] Though she played defender for club, she played midfielder for Hough High School and was named the Queen City 3A/4A Player of the Year after scoring 18 goals with 16 assists as a junior in 2022.[3][4] She committed to Maryland in her junior year.[5] TopDrawerSoccer ranked her the 34th-best recruit in the 2023 class.[1]
College career
Bell started all 18 games for the Maryland Terrapins as a freshman in 2023, earning Big Ten Conference all-freshman honors.[1] She moved from right back to winger as a sophomore in 2024, starting 18 games and leading the team in points with 3 goals and 2 assists.[6][7] She then transferred to the Michigan State Spartans, where her father played college football, before her junior season in 2025.[4] Michigan State head coach Jeff Hosler converted Bell to striker, a move that paid off immediately.[4][8] She led the Big Ten with 11 goals and added 7 assists in 25 games.[9] She helped the Spartans to runner-up finishes for the Big Ten regular-season and tournament titles, drawing a penalty in the final against Washington and making hers in the shootout loss.[4][10] Michigan State earned a program-best two seed in the NCAA tournament and reached the quarterfinals for the first time.[4][11] Bell was named second-team All-American, first-team All-Big Ten, and the Big Ten Forward of the Year.[9]
International career
Bell was called into training camps with the United States under-15 team in 2019 and 2020.[12] She went to camps with the under-20 team in 2025.[13]
Personal life
Bell is the daughter of Kimberly and Myron Bell and has two brothers.[9] Her father played eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals.[8] Her brother Corey played college football for North Carolina.[1]
Honors and awards
Individual
- Second-team All-American: 2025
- First-team All-Big Ten: 2025
- Big Ten Forward of the Year: 2025
- Big Ten all-freshman team: 2023