Photos courtesy of Lexington SC photography
Cat Barry finished her collegiate career as South Carolina women’s soccer’s all-time leading goal scorer after the 2024 season, and the former All-American and three-time first team All-SEC honoree has picked up where she left off in her professional career. Playing with the Lexington (KY) Sporting Club, she earned the Golden Boot Award after leading the Gainbridge Super League with 17 goals and helped the team win the regular season title as well as the league championship final last Saturday. So, what does she do for an encore?
“We just want to continue to raise the standards that we’ve set,” said Barry, who earned her bachelor’s degree in chemistry in the Honors College in May of 2023 before earning a master’s in business analytics from the Darla Moore School of Business in 2024 in addition to a graduate certificate in global strategy. “For me, scoring is always a big way that I contribute, but I also want to elevate all aspects of my game. I want to become fitter, more dominant, a harder player, and just become a more complete player. I want to do whatever it takes to help the team win.
“It’s been so exciting to see so much hard work from myself and the team come together at the right time. So often as a soccer player, you wonder if everything you’re doing is going to pay off and if you’re good enough to do it at the next level. To see that come to fruition is so fulfilling. It gives me so much motivation to continue working hard and seeing what I can achieve going forward as a pro.”
Barry had the game-tying assist in the championship game while helping Lexington SC complete a worst-to-first turnaround this year. The 17 goals were the most in a single season in the two years of the league’s existence.
After graduating from South Carolina, Barry started her professional career with the Chicago Stars of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) in the Spring of 2025 as a short-term roster player, playing in four games as a rookie before signing with Lexington in the GSL last summer. While her ascent has been rapid, it wasn’t without challenges.
“In college, everyone is coming from where they were the best player on their club team or high school team,” Barry said. “When you go pro, it’s a whole different level of that. You can’t take a minute or second off in practice or any drill. Every single action matters.
“Eleven months ago, I was packing up from…