Kat Rader

Kat Rader
Rader with Duke in 2025
Personal information
Full name Katherine Ann Rader[1]
Date of birth (2004-06-30) June 30, 2004[1]
Height 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Position Forward
Team information
Current team
 Houston Dash
Number 22
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2022–2025 Duke Blue Devils 65 (32)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2026– Houston Dash 2 (1)
International career‡
2018 United States U-15
2019–2020 United States U-16
2022–2024 United States U-20 8 (4)
2026– United States U-23 1 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of March 21, 2026
‡ National team caps and goals as of 14:20, March 8, 2026 (UTC)

Katherine Ann Rader (born June 30, 2004) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward for the Houston Dash of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She played college soccer for the Duke Blue Devils, earning first-team All-American honors in 2025. She has represented the United States at the youth international level.

Early life

Rader grew up in Stuart, Florida.[2] She began playing soccer when she was four years old.[3] She played club soccer for the Orlando Pride, Weston FC, and Florida United in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy/Girls Academy.[4] She committed to play college soccer for the Duke Blue Devils during her freshman year.[5] TopDrawerSoccer ranked her as the 5th-best prospect in the 2022 class.[2]

College career

Rader had an impressive freshman season with the Duke Blue Devils in 2022, forming a strong attacking duo with Hermann Trophy winner Michelle Cooper.[6] She scored 12 goals with 5 assists in 23 games, with her goal tally tying the Duke freshman record and ranking second nationally among freshmen.[2] She helped the Blue Devils reach the ACC tournament semifinals, scoring the winner against Virginia in the first round, and the NCAA tournament quarterfinals.[7] She was named second-team All-ACC, the ACC Freshman of the Year, and TopDrawerSoccer Freshman Best XI.[2]

In 2023, after Cooper left for the NWSL, Duke struggled and missed the NCAA tournament for the first time in eight years.[8] Rader was a bright spot as she led the team with 7 goals and added 2 assists in 16 games and again collected second-team All-ACC honors.[8] Four games into her junior year in 2024, she fractured her ankle and tore two ligaments and missed the rest of the season.[3] She returned in her senior year to score 12 goals and lead the Blue Devils with 12 assists (tied with Mia Oliaro) in 22 games in 2025.[2] In the NCAA tournament, she had two goals and four assists as Duke made their second consecutive NCAA College Cup appearance.[9] She earned second-team All-ACC and first-team All-American honors.[2]

Club career

The Houston Dash announced on January 7, 2026, that they had signed Rader to her first professional contract on a three-year deal.[10] She made her professional debut in the season opener on March 14, starting in a 1–0 win over the San Diego Wave.[11] The following week, she scored her first professional goal and assisted Kiki Van Zanten in a 3–0 victory over the Boston Legacy.[12]

International career

Rader began training with the United States youth national team at the under-14 level in 2018.[13] Later that year, she helped the under-15 team win the 2018 CONCACAF Girls' U-15 Championship.[14] She helped the under-20s finish runner-up at the 2023 CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship, scoring one goal as they qualified for the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.[15]

Personal life

Rader is the daughter of Matt and Christine Rader and has three siblings.[2] She is the granddaughter of Major League Baseball (MLB) player Doug Rader.[2]

Honors and awards

Duke Blue Devils

United States U-15

Individual

References

  1. ^ a b "National team roster (USA) - 2023 Concacaf Women's Under-20 Championship" (PDF). CONCACAF. p. 1. Retrieved December 26, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Kat Rader". Duke Blue Devils. Retrieved December 26, 2025.
  3. ^ a b Rieder, Meredith (November 4, 2025). "The Comeback - Kat Rader Back Where She Belongs". Duke Blue Devils. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
  4. ^ "U15 GNT roster for Concacaf Championship". United States Soccer Federation. July 31, 2018. Retrieved January 5, 2026 – via TopDrawerSoccer.
    "Women's Soccer Adds Five to 2022 Signing Class". Duke Blue Devils. November 22, 2021. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
  5. ^ Shealer, Sheldon (October 22, 2018). "Recruiting Roundup: Oct. 22-28". TopDrawerSoccer. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
  6. ^ "Rader Turning in Impressive Rookie Campaign". Duke Blue Devils. November 3, 2022. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
  7. ^ "Women's Team of The Week: November 1". TopDrawerSoccer. November 1, 2022. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
  8. ^ a b Chavis, Elle; Tan, Jun; Khatod, Riya; Olin, Sydney (August 15, 2024). "Duke women's soccer 2024 season preview". Duke Chronicle. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
  9. ^ "Rader & Minestrella Tabbed United Soccer Coaches All-America". Duke Blue Devils. December 5, 2025. Retrieved January 5, 2025.
  10. ^ "Houston Dash Begin 2026 Roster Build with Signing of Duke Standout Kat Rader". Houston Dash. January 7, 2026. Retrieved January 7, 2026.
  11. ^ "Houston Dash Open 2026 Season with Shutout Victory on the Road". Houston Dash. February 15, 2026. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
  12. ^ Munson, Bella (March 21, 2026). "Houston attack dominates Boston". The Equalizer. Retrieved March 22, 2026.
  13. ^ "U14 GNT heads to camp in Chula Vista". United States Soccer Federation. May 25, 2018. Retrieved January 5, 2026 – via TopDrawerSoccer.
  14. ^ Eskilson, J.R. (August 13, 2018). "U.S. wins 2018 Concacaf U15 Championship". TopDrawerSoccer. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
  15. ^ "U20 WNT Begins World Cup Preparations". United States Soccer Federation. January 10, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2026 – via TopDrawerSoccer.
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