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Kat Rader

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Kat Rader
Rader with the Houston Dash in 2026
Personal information
Full name Katherine Ann Rader[1]
Date of birth (2004-06-30) June 30, 2004 (age 22)[1]
Height 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Position Forward
Team information
Current team
 Houston Dash
Number 22
Youth career
Orlando Pride
2019–2021 Weston FC
2021–2022 Florida United
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2022–2025 Duke Blue Devils 65 (32)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2026– Houston Dash 28 (10)
International career‡
2018 United States U15
2019–2020 United States U16
2022–2024 United States U20 8 (4)
2026– United States U23 1 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of October 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

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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

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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

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Rader with the Houston Dash in 2026

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] Two months later, she was named NWSL Rookie of the Month after scoring in consecutive games in May.[13] On July 18, she scored her sixth goal of the season in a 1–1 draw with Racing Louisville, setting the new Dash rookie scoring record.[14]

International career

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Rader began training with the United States youth national team at the under-14 level in 2018.[15] Later that year, she helped the under-15 team win the 2018 CONCACAF Girls' U-15 Championship.[16] 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.[17]

Personal life

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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

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Duke Blue Devils

United States U15

Individual

References

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  1. 1 2 "National team roster (USA) - 2023 Concacaf Women's Under-20 Championship" (PDF). CONCACAF. p. 1. Retrieved December 26, 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Kat Rader". Duke Blue Devils. Retrieved December 26, 2025.
  3. 1 2 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. 1 2 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. ↑ "Houston Dash Midfielder Kat Rader Named Rookie of the Month". Houston Dash. June 4, 2026. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  14. ↑ "Houston Dash Rally Late to Earn Key Point Against Louisville". Houston Dash. July 18, 2026. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  15. ↑ "U14 GNT heads to camp in Chula Vista". United States Soccer Federation. May 25, 2018. Retrieved January 5, 2026 – via TopDrawerSoccer.
  16. ↑ Eskilson, J.R. (August 13, 2018). "U.S. wins 2018 Concacaf U15 Championship". TopDrawerSoccer. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
  17. ↑ "U20 WNT Begins World Cup Preparations". United States Soccer Federation. January 10, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2026 – via TopDrawerSoccer.
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