Kat Rader
Katherine Ann Rader is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward for the Houston Dash of the National Women's Soccer League. 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. She began playing soccer when she was four years old. She played club soccer for the Orlando Pride, Weston FC, and Florida United in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy/Girls Academy. She committed to play college soccer for the Duke Blue Devils during her freshman year. TopDrawerSoccer ranked her as the 5th-best prospect in the 2022 class.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. 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. She helped the Blue Devils reach the ACC tournament semifinals, scoring the winner against Virginia in the first round, and the NCAA tournament quarterfinals. She was named second-team All-ACC, the ACC Freshman of the Year, and TopDrawerSoccer Freshman Best XI.In 2023, after Cooper left for the NWSL, Duke struggled and missed the NCAA tournament for the first time in eight years. 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. Four games into her junior year in 2024, she fractured her ankle and tore two ligaments and missed the rest of the season. She returned in her senior year to score 12 goals and lead the Blue Devils with 12 assists in 22 games in 2025. In the NCAA tournament, she had two goals and four assists as Duke made their second consecutive NCAA College Cup appearance. She earned second-team All-ACC and first-team All-American honors.
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.International career
Rader began training with the United States youth national team at the under-14 level in 2018. Later that year, she helped the under-15 team win the 2018 CONCACAF Girls' U-15 Championship. 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.Personal life
Rader is the daughter of Matt and Christine Rader and has three siblings. She is the granddaughter of Major League Baseball player Doug Rader.Honors and awards
Duke Blue Devils- Atlantic Coast Conference: 2024
- CONCACAF Girls' U-15 Championship: 2018
- First-team All-American: 2025
- Second-team All-ACC: 2022, 2023, 2025
- ACC Freshman of the Year: 2022
- NCAA tournament all-tournament team: 2025
- ACC tournament all-tournament team: 2022, 2025