{{Short description|American soccer player (born 2004)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2026}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Natalie Mitchell | image = UNC vs VT (Sep 2023) 097 (Mitchell).jpg | caption = Mitchell with Virginia Tech in 2023 | full_name = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|2004|01|06}} | birth_place = Temecula, California, U.S. | height = 5 ft 8 in | position = Midfielder | currentclub = Racing Louisville | clubnumber = 22 | youthyears1 = | youthclubs1 = Arsenal FC Sporting | youthyears2 = 2021 | youthclubs2 = San Diego Surf | collegeyears1 = 2022–2025 | college1 = Virginia Tech Hokies | collegecaps1 = 78 | collegegoals1 = 24 | years1 = 2024 | clubs1 = Indy Eleven | caps1 = 11 | goals1 = 7 | years2 = 2025 | clubs2 = Lexington SC (USLW) | caps2 = 8 | goals2 = 4 | years3 = 2026– | clubs3 = Racing Louisville | caps3 = 0 | goals3 = 0 | club-update = 06:13, March 15, 2026 (UTC) }}
'''Natalie Mitchell''' (born January 6, 2004) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Racing Louisville FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She played college soccer for the Virginia Tech Hokies.
== Early life == Mitchell was born and raised in Temecula, California. She attended Temecula Valley High School, where she earned four varsity letters in track and three in soccer.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Natalie Mitchell |url=https://hokiesports.com/sports/womens-soccer/roster/player/natalie-mitchell |access-date=2026-03-15 |website=Virginia Tech Hokies |language=en-US}}</ref> With the soccer team, she had a breakout season in her senior year, setting a program record with 35 goals on the season, captaining Temecula Valley to a 21-match winning streak, and leading the team to a California Interscholastic Federation state title.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2022-04-02 |title=Temecula Valley’s Natalie Mitchell is the IE Varsity 2022 girls soccer player of the year |url=https://www.pressenterprise.com/2022/04/01/temecula-valleys-natalie-mitchell-is-the-ie-varsity-2022-girls-soccer-player-of-the-year/ |access-date=2026-03-15 |website=Press Enterprise |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Virginia Tech introduces class of 2022 recruit Natalie Mitchell |url=https://www.soccerwire.com/news/virginia-tech-introduces-class-of-2022-recruit-natalie-mitchell-from-san-diego-surf/ |access-date=2026-03-15 |website=SoccerWire |language=en}}</ref> In the state championship match, she scored both of Temecula Valley's goals against Santiago to secure the trophy.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-03-22 |title=Three Inland soccer players selected CIF Southern Section players of the year |url=https://www.pressenterprise.com/2022/03/22/three-inland-soccer-players-selected-cif-southern-section-players-of-the-year/ |access-date=2026-03-15 |website=San Bernardino Sun |language=en-US}}</ref> She was named the CIF Southern Player of the Year for her performances.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hampton |first=Daniel |date=2022-03-23 |title=Temecula Valley Soccer Wins Player, Coach Of The Year Honors |url=https://patch.com/california/temecula/temecula-valley-soccer-wins-player-coach-year-honors |access-date=2026-03-15 |website=Patch |language=en}}</ref> Outside of school, Mitchell played four years for Murrieta-based club team Arsenal FC Sporting, where she was a prolific goalscorer and won multiple cup titles.<ref name=":2" /> In 2021, she switched to San Diego Surf SC, where she recorded 5 hat-tricks and one five-goal game in her lone season.<ref name=":0" />
== College career == Originally, Mitchell had accepted a scholarship to play soccer at East Carolina University.<ref name=":1" /> She later changed courses and instead played four seasons for the Virginia Tech Hokies, starting every game across her collegiate career.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kaloi |first=Stephanie |date=2026-03-14 |title=Racing Louisville Will Focus On An Even Stronger 2026 Season |url=https://www.theixsports.com/the-ix-soccer/nwsl/racing-louisville-2026-season/ |access-date=2026-03-15 |website=The IX Soccer |language=en-US}}</ref> Fifteen minutes into her Virginia Tech debut in 2022, she assisted Tori Powell to produce the Hokies' first goal of the season. On August 28, 2022, she scored her first college goal in a match against Elon. Mitchell went on to play the most minutes out of any freshman on Virginia Tech. Her 8 assists were the fourth-highest in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).<ref name=":0" /> ''TopDrawerSoccer'' named Mitchell to its 2022 Freshman Best XI Second Team.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Taylor Price and Natalie Mitchell earn TopDrawerSoccer honors |url=https://hokiesports.com/news/2022/12/16/taylor-price-and-natalie-mitchell-earn-topdrawersoccer-honors |access-date=2026-03-15 |website=Virginia Tech Hokies |language=en-US}}</ref>
As a sophomore in 2023, Mitchell led Virginia Tech with 9 goals and was named to the All-ACC third team. The following year, she registered 5 goals and 6 assists, with two of her assists coming in the Hokies' first win over Florida State in program history. In the first and second rounds of the NCAA tournament, Mitchell scored back-to-back game winners, first against Tennessee, and then against UCLA. She then played in both of Virginia Tech's remaining two matches as the Hokies were eliminated by Duke in the elite eight.<ref name=":0" /> She was named to the All-Atlantic Region fourth team for her efforts.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-03 |title=Best Virginia Tech Athletes Across All Ball Sports for 2024-2025 |url=https://www.si.com/college/virginiatech/best-virginia-tech-athletes-across-all-ball-sports-for-2024-2025-01k1r63j3wej |access-date=2026-03-15 |website=Virginia Tech Hokies On SI |language=en-US}}</ref> Mitchell went on to play one more year for Virginia Tech, finishing 2025 with over 5,000 career minutes of play across all seasons.<ref name=":0" />
== Club career == In the offseason before her junior year of college, Mitchell played for Indy Eleven of the pre-professional USL W League. She was Indy Eleven's 2024 leading goalscorer, also netting the game-winner in the club's playoff victory over the Minnesota Aurora.<ref>{{Cite web |title=USL W League Playoffs Recap – MN 1:2 IND |url=https://www.indyeleven.com/news/2024/07/05/usl-w-league-playoffs-recap-mn-12-ind/ |access-date=2026-03-15 |website=Indy Eleven |language=en-US}}</ref> The following year, she returned to the USL W League, making 8 appearances and scoring 4 goals for Lexington SC's USLW squad.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Team Stats |url=https://www.uslwleague.com/team-statistcs |access-date=2026-03-15 |website=USL W League |language=en-us}}</ref>
On March 11, 2026, NWSL club Racing Louisville FC announced that they had signed Mitchell to her first professional contract on a one-year deal.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lukic |first=Andres |date=2026-03-11 |title=Racing Louisville signs rookie midfielder Natalie Mitchell to complete 2026 roster |url=https://www.wave3.com/2026/03/11/racing-louisville-signs-rookie-midfielder-natalie-mitchell-complete-2026-roster/ |access-date=2026-03-15 |website=Wave3 |language=en}}</ref>
== Personal life == She is the daughter of Spike and Julie Mitchell. She has two brothers, Jordan and Jake Mitchell, the latter of whom was a first-team All-American for Oregon Tech's soccer team in the NAIA.<ref name=":0" /> Mitchell studied criminology at Virginia Tech and hopes to join the FBI after her soccer career concludes.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Get to know: Natalie Mitchell |url=https://hokiesports.com/news/2022/09/21/get-to-know-natalie-mitchell |access-date=2026-03-15 |website=Virginia Tech Hokies |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":2" />
== Honors == '''Individual'''
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == {{Commons category}} * {{sports links}} * [https://hokiesports.com/sports/womens-soccer/roster/player/natalie-mitchell Natalie Mitchell] at the Virginia Tech Hokies
{{Racing Louisville FC squad}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Natalie}} Category:Living people Category:2004 births Category:21st-century American sportswomen Category:Sportspeople from Temecula, California Category:Soccer players from Riverside County, California Category:American women's soccer players Category:Women's association football midfielders Category:Virginia Tech Hokies women's soccer players Category:USL W League players Category:Racing Louisville FC players