McNabb was raised in Montville, New Jersey, where she attended Montville Township High School.[2] She played club soccer for PDA Charge and captained the team to the national championship games twice.[2] She was ranked 34 nationally by TopDrawerSoccer.[2]
College career
McNabb attended the University of Virginia, where she played for the Cavaliers from 2013 to 2016 after redshirting the 2012 season due to injury.[2] During the 2013 season, she made 19 appearances for the Cavaliers including two starts. She sustained a knee injury in a match against Virginia Tech on October 31 which prevented her from playing the remainder of the season.[2] The following year, she started in all 26 games and scored her first goal during a match against Tennessee.[2] During the 2015 season, McNabb started in all 23 games and was named to the Second-Team NSCAA All-Southeast Region.[2] In the 2016 season, McNabb captained the Cavaliers. That September she was named the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Co-Offensive Player Of The Week while playing as a defender and scoring twice against Virginia Tech.[3] The same year, McNabb helped the Cavaliers to a 15–5–2 record. The team reached the Round of 16 of the NCAA Division 1 Soccer Championship for the 12th straight season.[4]
Club career
OL Reign, 2017–2021
In January 2017, McNabb was selected by Reign FC as the 37th overall selection in the 2017 NWSL College Draft.[5] After training with the Reign in preseason, she signed her first professional contract with the club on April 3, 2017.[6] She made her debut starting for the club during the season opener on April 15 against Sky Blue FC. She scored her first professional goal on April 22 against the Houston Dash.[7] Her performances in her first two seasons with the Reign earned her a new contract in late 2018, giving her the opportunity to play with the club in 2019.[7]
Melbourne Victory, 2017 (loan)
In October 2017, McNabb joined Australian club Melbourne Victory on loan for the off-season.[8] She played in 11 matches during her loan spell and managed to score 1 goal, a header against Canberra United in October 2017.[9]
San Diego Wave FC, 2022–
In December 2021, San Diego Wave selected McNabb in the 2022 NWSL Expansion Draft.[10] McNabb made her debut for the Wave on the club's inaugural match, a 1–1 draw against Angel City FC on March 19, 2022.[11] She appeared in 5 of the 6 of the Wave's 2022 Challenge Cup games, playing 90 minutes in each fixture.[12] During the Challenge Cup and parts of the 2022 season, McNabb played as a defensive midfielder, but she eventually ended back up in her more natural position of left-back.[13] She scored her first goal for the club on July 10, 2022, in a defeat to Angel City FC.[14] Midway through the 2022 season, McNabb's contract was extended through 2024.[15] She finished the 2022 season with a career-high 2 goals and 24 games played.[12]
McNabb played in 14 games in 2023[12] before picking up a hip injury[16] that rendered her unavailable from July to October.[17] Her first game back would be the Wave's semifinal defeat to the OL Reign, on November 5, 2023.[12] McNabb's lone goal of the season occurred on June 17, 2023, in a match against Californian rivals Angel City FC. She opened the scoring in the 57th minute with a left-footed strike through the legs of defender Ali Riley and into the back of the net.[18]
McNabb with the Wave in 2025
On May 4, 2024, McNabb participated in a 2–1 loss to Seattle Reign FC, her former team. The game set the record for the most cards distributed in an NWSL match, with McNabb adding to the count after conceding a red card in stoppage time.[19] She scored her only goal and only own goal of the 2024 regular season on a September fixture against the Washington Spirit, deflecting the ball into her own net in the first half before scoring off of a corner kick in the 68th minute. McNabb's goal and own goal were the only actions on the scoresheet as the match finished in a 1–1 draw.[20][21] Shortly before the conclusion of the regular season, the Wave re-signed McNabb on a two-year extension through 2026.[22][23]
Following the Wave's signing of offensive-minded French left-back Perle Morroni,[24] McNabb found herself playing as a center back in her fourth season with San Diego.[25] She contributed to the Wave's highest-scoring game in club history in May 2025, scoring once in a 5–2 victory over the North Carolina Courage that also helped set a team record 6-match unbeaten streak.[26] On August 29, 2025, McNabb became the 46th NWSL player to appear in 150 league matches.[27]
International career
McNabb has represented the United States on the under-18 and under-23 national teams.[2]
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