![]() MacBean with Penn State in 2025 | |||
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Date of birth | [1] | September 5, 2001||
Place of birth | Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. | ||
Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||
Position(s) | Forward | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Penn State Nittany Lions | ||
Number | 14 | ||
College career | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2021– | Penn State Nittany Lions | 67 | (29) |
Kaitlyn MacBean (born September 5, 2001) is an American college soccer player who plays as a forward for the Penn State Nittany Lions.
MacBean was born in Minneapolis, the daughter of Bridget and Craig MacBean, and has two brothers. [1] She grew up in Excelsior, Minnesota, and played club soccer for Minnesota Thunder Academy, earning ECNL all-conference honors twice. [2] She attended Breck School, where she was a four-time all-state selection in soccer, was named Ms. Soccer Minnesota in 2019, and also won a state track title in the 4 × 100 meters relay. [2] [3] She committed to play college soccer at Pennsylvania State University before her sophomore year. [4]
MacBean took medical redshirts in her first two seasons with the Penn State Nittany Lions while recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament injury. [2] [5] She made her college debut in the 2022 season, playing in 19 games as a substitute and scoring 3 goals, and was named in the Big Ten Conference all-freshman team. In the 2022 Big Ten tournament final, she scored once and Ally Schlegel scored twice in the victory over Michigan State. [2] [6] She became a starter during her redshirt junior season in 2023, jointly leading the team with 10 goals and adding 6 assists in 23 games, and was named third-team All-Big Ten. She scored four goals in the 2023 NCAA tournament as she helped the Nittany Lions to their first quarterfinal appearance in five years. [2] [7]
MacBean carried a scoring streak into her redshirt senior season in 2024, which stretched to eight games including a hat trick against West Virginia. She finished the season with a career-high 16 goals in 25 games, the most by a Nittany Lion since Maya Hayes in 2013, and was named first-team All-Big Ten and fourth-team All-American. In the 2024 NCAA tournament, she scored twice and again helped the team to the quarterfinals. [2] [8] After undergoing surgery after the season, she opted to return for a sixth and final season as a graduate student in 2025, writing on social media: "I'm back". [7] [9]
Penn State Nittany Lions
Individual