SAN JOSE, Calif. (Feb. 14, 2025) – Goalkeeper Katelyn Rowland announced her retirement from professional football today. The former Bay FC player closes her ten-year professional career with four NWSL titles, five NWSL Championship appearances and nine trophies.
“Katelyn Rowland has been an incredible professional throughout her career, bringing leadership, resilience, and a championship mentality to this club,” said Sporting Director Matt Potter. “While we will miss her presence on the field, we fully support her as she closes out her playing career and embarks on this next chapter of her life. We have no doubt she will continue to find success in whatever comes next.”
“It’s difficult to sum up my career in just a few sentences, but two words come to mind: Thank you,” said Rowland. “Thank you to everyone who has made this journey truly incredible – my teammates who have become family, my coaches in Carolina who were instrumental to my success, and all the coaches who helped along the way. To my family, none of this would have been possible without you. Playing at home in the final year of my career was a dream come true; fans you were unreal! Thank you, Bay Area. 27 years later all I can say is: Thank you, football.”
Rowland began her professional career in 2015 as the 17th overall selection by FC Kansas City in the 2015 NWSL Draft. She hoisted the NWSL Championship title with the team her rookie season before moving clubs the following year. Joining the Western New York Flash via trade, Rowland lifted a second consecutive title in her sophomore campaign and remained with the team as it relocated to become the North Carolina Courage. She had a breakout season in 2017 as the club reached the NWSL Final, posting nine clean sheets across 18 regular season appearances and taking home NWSL Second XI honors.
Rowland remained in Cary as the Courage recorded back-to-back doubles in 2018 and 2019, winning both the NWSL Shield and Championship each season. In 2021, she was traded back to Kansas City, this time with the expansion team now known as the Current, but once again returned to North Carolina the following season to help the club secure back-to-back Challenge Cup titles in 2022 and 2023. Rowland moved to Bay FC in 2024 as one of the club’s five expansion draft selections, appearing in 21 games in her lone season. The Walnut Creek, Calif. native tallied 103 appearances and 9,300 minutes with 32 shutouts across all competitions.
Prior to her professional career, Rowland was a college standout at UCLA, where she shared the pitch with two Bay FC teammates, defenders Abby Dahlkemper and Caprice Dydasco. In 2013, she helped lead the Bruins to their first national title in program history and earned Pac-12 Goalkeeper of the Year honors in 2014. She represented the U.S. Youth National Team ranks at multiple levels, including for the U-20 squad at the 2014 Concacaf U-20 Championship, where she was awarded Golden Glove honors, and at the 2014 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada.
Bay FC’s preparations for the 2025 season are currently underway. The club will train in Santa Barbara, Calif. for a week of sessions from Feb. 8-14, and Indio, Calif. from Feb. 16-22 for the 2025 Coachella Valley Invitational before returning to the Bay Area to close its preparations. In Indio, Bay FC will take on a pair of NWSL foes in exhibition matches, lining up opposite Seattle Reign FC Sunday, Feb. 16, and San Diego Wave FC Saturday, Feb. 22. Both of Bay FC’s matches at the event will be open to fans, with passes on sale at CoachellaValleyInvitational.com.
The 2025 NWSL regular season will kick off March 16, with Bay FC opening its campaign on the road against the Utah Royals at America First Field in Sandy, Utah. The club will play its first home match on March 22 vs. Racing Louisville FC at PayPal Park. The club’s full 2025 schedule is available now at BayFC.com.
About Bay Football Club
Bay Football Club (Bay FC) is the professional soccer franchise representing the Bay Area and the 14th team to join the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). Bay FC was established in April 2023 and co-founded by USWNT legends Brandi Chastain, Leslie Osborne, Danielle Slaton, and Aly Wagner in partnership with global investment firm Sixth Street and an investor group of leading tech, business and sports executives. Sixth Street’s investment is the largest institutional investment to date in a women’s professional sports franchise. Bay FC is changing the face of women’s soccer as we know it. The Club began play in the 2024 season. Tickets are now on sale for Bay FC at BayFC.com and fans can follow Bay FC’s social channels (@wearebayfc) for the latest news, merchandise, and events.
