It didn’t take long for Bethany Balcer to prove she belonged amongst the world’s best soccer players.

A week after becoming the first NAIA player to sign a professional contract with the National Women’s Soccer League, Balcer found herself in the starting lineup for the Seattle Reign’s match against the Orlando Pride on Sunday.

The former Spring Arbor University and Hudsonville Unity Christian High School standout took over the role held by Megan Rapinoe, a member of the U.S. women’s national soccer team. She made the most of her opportunity on the big stage, netting a goal in the 21st minute of action to record her first career professional goal and help the Reign play to a 1-1 tie with the Pride.

Balcer’s goal was also the first for the team at their new home field, Cheney Stadium, which held 5,323 fans for Sunday night’s game. She played 78 minutes and finished the match with five shots on goal.

It was the second career appearance for Balcer, who also saw minutes in the club's season opener against the Houston Dash last weekend.

Balcer’s rise to the professional ranks isn’t a surprise to anyone who watched her at Spring Arbor University. As a four-year starter with the Cougars, Balcer rewrote the program’s history book in every offensive category.

She finished with 129 goals, more than doubling the previous mark of 64. She is fifth all-time on the NAIA goal scoring list, and she also led the Cougars to four straight NAIA national semifinal appearances, including two national titles in 2015 and 2017 and a runner-up finish in 2016.

In her first season with Spring Arbor, Balcer became the first-ever freshman to receive the NAIA National Player of the Year award and would go on to receive the award three times, which was also an NAIA first.

Up next on Balcer’s journey is a road trip to Chicago, as the Reign FC heads to the Midwest to take on the Chicago Red Stars on Saturday, April 27 with kickoff slated for 8 p.m. EST.