Catherine Paulson


Catherine Pauline Paulson is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder. She played college soccer for the Stanford Cardinal.

Early life

Paulson was born in Mountain View and raised in Los Altos, California. She played basketball and danced in addition to playing soccer growing up. She joined MVLA Soccer Club when she was eight. She played two seasons of soccer at Saint Francis High School. She and her twin sister committed to play college soccer at Stanford when they were sophomores.

College career

Paulson's freshman season with the Stanford Cardinal was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. She scored one goal in the 12 games she played in the spring, starting 6. She missed her entire sophomore season due to injury. In her redshirt sophomore season in 2022, she helped the Cardinal win the Pac-12 Conference, scoring 3 goals in 21 appearances exclusively as a substitute. She started the first 2 games and made 14 appearances in 2023. Stanford went undefeated all the way to the final of the NCAA tournament, losing to Florida State. She graduated the following spring, receiving her bachelor's degree in science, technology, and society.

Club career

head coach Albertin Montoya, who previously coached at Paulson's youth club MVLA, invited her to join the expansion side as a training player after she graduated from college. On August 27, 2024, Bay announced she had signed with the team on a national team replacement contract while Savy King was on international duty at the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. She made debuted for Bay the same day in their club friendly against Barcelona at PayPal Park. On October 11, she signed a second contract with Bay for the remainder of the season.
Paulson returned to Bay as a non-roster invitee in the 2025 preseason. On March 10, she signed a short-term contract through June. When it expired, she was re-signed until the end of the season. On August 10, she made her NWSL debut as a late substitute for Penelope Hocking in a 1–1 draw against the Chicago Stars. She made her first start in her sixth NWSL appearance in a 4–1 loss to the North Carolina Courage on October 17.

Personal life

Paulson is the daughter of Jen and Greg Paulson. She has three siblings including a twin sister, Sarah, who played with her at Stanford. Three generations of her family played college sports at Santa Clara University.

Honors and awards

Stanford Cardinal
  • Pac-12 Conference: 2022