Get to know National Soccer Player of the Year, Notre Dame Academy alum Natalie Bain
PARK HILLS, Ky. — Tough doesn’t begin to describe Xavier freshman Natalie Bain.
This star athlete started playing soccer around 3rd grade at Grant’s Lick Elementary School and her sports career has only grown from there. As the middle child of three, competing has always been in her blood. And her hard work has paid off.
She was a starter all four years of her high school career on the varsity girls’ soccer team at Notre Dame Academy, where she received a presidential scholarship. She was also All-American, MVP for District, Region, and State, she was named Ms. Kentucky Soccer (an annual soccer award named after the late Jenna Cooper given to high school girls Player of the Year), and her team won the State Championship her senior year.
“It was literally the best feeling ever,” Bain said. “Everyone on the team worked so hard to get to that point. We had the perfect season; we didn’t lose one game. It was such a relief that all our hard work paid off for something. It was a huge accomplishment.”
In case that wasn’t impressive enough, Bain graduated Summa Cum Laude from Notre Dame and was recently named National Soccer Player of the Year by USA Today Magazine. She just started college at Xavier on soccer and academic scholarships as well. At the height of all this, Bain suffered a severe injury.
“I’ve had many small injuries,” Bain said. “But the most major one was at the end of sophomore year. I fractured my femur during the regional semi-finals. I was crushed because I couldn’t play.”
Bain said she collided with an opposing player while on the field, hyperextending her leg. She didn’t need surgery, but it would be a long road until she would be able to play at the level she was used to.
“Recovery was definitely no fun,” she said. “But it made me see how much I love soccer. I remember being on the couch, and I couldn’t walk or run. I just thought, ‘I want to play soccer so bad right now.’”
Recovery took about 6 months, Bain said, but she knew that being there for her team and seeing the game played would be just as important as rest.
“I knew I wasn’t going to jump right back into it, so I just tried to think about the positive things,” Bain said. “Focus on my friends and family and support system to get my mind off it …I had crutches, and at first, I was just sitting on the bench, but then I switched to standing. It hurt, but I just wanted to be there for my team.”
All in all, the teen has a bright future and the right mindset to achieve anything she wants. And she attributes this success to hard work, her community, and her upbringing.
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