HUDSONVILLE, Mich. — West Michigan soccer player Bethany Balcer is living out her dream as a professional soccer player.
The 22-year-old, a former all-state, Hudsonville Unity Christian alumnus, can be seen playing as a forward for Reign FC, headquartered in Tacoma, Washington. She realized her goal in April of this year after initially going undrafted in the 2019 National Women’s Soccer League’s (NWSL) College Draft. Shortly after she thought her professional dream had halted, she received a personal invite to attend camp with Reign FC.
“I quickly realized that being drafted didn’t mean anything, and I still had the opportunity every other girl had and just took it by the reigns,” Balcer said.
The athlete said at camp she was competing against five to six other girls all vying for the same spot on the team. She said at any day, she could be sent home and she watched as her competition was sent packing day-by-day.
“That was probably the hardest part. It wasn’t the trainings that were difficult. It was the mental game of how did I do today? What did the coaches think of me? You’re just always on edge, and you never know where you stand,” she explained.
Weeks after entering camp, Balcer was the only invitee left standing and she received a phone call from Reign FC’s head coach, offering her a spot on the permanent roster. Initially Balcer was intended to be a temporary player when permanent team members would leave to compete in the World Cup.
“It’s still pretty surreal to me to know that I’m playing alongside girls that I’ve looked up to since I was a little girl like Megan Rapinoe…that she gets to be my teammate,” Balcer said.
Balcer is the only rookie on the team, and in signing, became the first National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) athlete in history to sign a contract with the NWSL—regarded as one of the best women’s soccer programs in the world.
“I hope it does open the door for more NAIA players to get another look. Because there is talent in the NAIA. I’m just honored that I get to hopefully open the floodgates for that,” she said.
Balcer is no stranger to breaking records. During her collegiate career at Spring Arbor University, she rewrote history by becoming the first player to ever win National NAIA Player of the Year as a freshman. She then set another record by being the first athlete to be awarded that same honor three times.
While Balcer saw success in the NAIA league, she said it wasn’t enough to get her to the big leagues. After speaking with her college coach, Jason Crist, they worked on getting Balcer onto higher tier and semi-pro teams to attract pro-team coaches.
Balcer played for Grand Rapids FC of United Women’s Soccer (UWS), where Crist says she led the country in scoring. She later played for Seattle Sounders Women of the Women’s Premiere Soccer League (WPSL), which a second-tier team.
Crist says the goal was to get her name circulating during her time at Seattle Sounders Women, as it has coaching overlap with Reign FC. The plan seemed to work on both sides, as Balcer signed a contract and has put multiple points on the scoreboard, including the very first goal in Reign FC's new stadium.
Balcer is currently in Tacoma finishing out her season. She says after finding footing as a professional player, she plans to set her sights on the national team.
“Obviously the dream is to make it on the national team. I think that’s everyone’s dream,” she said.
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