Natalie Bain
American soccer player (born 2003)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Natalie Marceline Bain (born December 29, 2003) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a center back for the Houston Dash of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She played college soccer for the Xavier Musketeers, earning All-American honors three times.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Natalie Marceline Bain[1] | ||
| Date of birth | December 29, 2003 | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||
| Position | Center back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Houston Dash | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Kings Hammer | |||
| 2018–2021 | Notre Dame Academy Pandas | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2022–2025 | Xavier Musketeers | 85 | (9) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2022–2025 | Kings Hammer | 22 | (2) |
| 2026– | Houston Dash | 0 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Early life
Bain grew up in Alexandria, Kentucky, the daughter of Aly and Thomas Bain, and has two siblings.[2] She attended Notre Dame Academy in Park Hills, Kentucky, where she played for the soccer team for four seasons.[2] In her senior year in 2021, she led Notre Dame Academy to a 28–0–1 record and the KHSAA state championship, allowing just four goals all season and scoring the lone goal in the state final.[2][3] She was named MVP of the district, regional, and state tournaments; a United Soccer Coaches high school All-American; and the USA Today High School Player of the Year.[2][4] She played club soccer for Kings Hammer Academy, earning ECNL all-conference honors.[5]
College career
Bain was an immediate starter for the Xavier Musketeers as a freshman in 2022, contributing to 11 shutouts in 23 games.[2] In the NCAA tournament, she had an assist in the first round win over Tennessee.[2] She was second-team All-Big East and named to the Big East all-freshman team.[2] She helped the team match a program 13 shutouts in 20 games as a sophomore in 2023, winning a share of the Big East regular-season title and earning a program best 4th seed in the NCAA tournament.[2] She was named first-team All-Big Ten and second-team All-American.[2] She scored a career-high 3 goals and helped record 10 shutouts in 21 games as a junior in 2024.[2] She helped the Musketeers to their third consecutive Big East tournament title game, all of them losses.[2] She was named first-team All-Big East, the Big East Defensive Player of the Year, and second-team All-American, becoming the first multiple-time All-American in program history.[2] In her senior year in 2025, she started in 21 games and again scored 3 goals, while helping post 12 shutouts.[6] She helped get Xavier over the hump in the Big East tournament, finally winning the second tournament title in program history.[7] She was named first-team All-Big East for the third time, Big East Defensive Player of the Year for the second time, and fourth-team All-American, becoming the first three-time All-American in program history.[6]
Club career
Bain joined the Houston Dash as a non-roster invitee in the preseason in January 2026.[8] On April 10, the Dash announced they had signed Bain to her first professional contract and she would arrive the next month after finishing college.[9]
International career
Bain received her first international call-up with the United States under-23 team, training concurrently with the senior national team, in October 2025.[10]
Honors and awards
Xavier Musketeers
Individual
- Second-team All-American: 2023, 2024
- Fourth-team All-American: 2025
- Big East Defensive Player of the Year: 2024, 2025
- First-team All-Big East: 2023, 2024, 2025
- Second-team All-Big East: 2022
- Big East all-freshman team: 2022