SEATTLE, WA. – Seattle Reign FC has extended forward Bethany Balcer’s contract through the 2025 NWSL season, the club announced today. Balcer first signed with the Reign in 2019 as an undrafted free agent, becoming the first NAIA player to sign a contract in the NWSL.
“I’m super excited to be continuing my career with the Reign,” said Balcer. “I have fallen in love with this city and community, and I’m excited to continue to develop on such a high-caliber team.”
Entering her sixth year with the Reign, the veteran forward has the fifth-most regular season appearances (88) and fourth-most goals (28) in club history. Since entering the league in 2019, Balcer leads the team in appearances, goals and shots (163), and ranks third in the league in appearances, fourth in goals scored and fifth in total shots. Balcer has registered 67 starts, 5,663 minutes and four assists in regular season play.
In 2023, the 26-year-old was one of two players on the roster to appear in all 22 regular season games, alongside captain Lauren Barnes. Balcer finished the regular season with 1,415 minutes played in 19 starts, recording a team-leading six goals and 31 shots. She added one assist in the regular season and one assist during the NWSL Championship.
The 2019 NWSL Rookie of the Year has led the team in scoring every season since she first entered the league and is just one of two players in the NWSL with at least six goals in every season since 2019. Balcer is well known for her ability to score in the air, recording 13 headed goals since 2019, the most in the NWSL and five more than any other player in that span.
The sixth-year veteran is the third longest-tenured player on the Reign’s active roster after Reign originals Lauren Barnes and Jess Fishlock.
“Bethany Balcer made a name for herself quickly in the NWSL and has been a consistent high-performing goal scorer for the club,” said Seattle Reign FC General Manager Lesle Gallimore. “Boats, as she is affectionately known, is someone we’re ecstatic to have extending her time with the Reign.”
