Lily Nabet Bio
Lily Shayan Nabet (born September 24, 1999) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder. She is currently signed with USL Super League club Carolina Ascent, where she wears jersey number 28. Standing 5 feet 3 inches tall, Nabet has built her reputation as a technically sound central midfielder known for accurate passing and intelligent defensive work.
Born and raised in Southern California, Nabet rose through the youth soccer ranks in the Los Angeles area before starring at Duke University. She launched her professional career in 2022 after being selected in the 2022 NWSL Draft and has since competed in both the NWSL and the USL Super League.
Early Life and Background
Lily Shayan Nabet was born on September 24, 1999, in Tarzana, California, a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles. She is the daughter of David Nabet and Shadi Nabet, both of whom emigrated from Iran, making her a first-generation Iranian American. Nabet grew up alongside two brothers, Amin and Matin, in a family that encouraged athletic and academic achievement.
She attended Chaminade College Preparatory School in the Los Angeles area, where she developed as a competitive soccer player. Outside of school competition, Nabet played club soccer for Real So Cal, one of the prominent youth development programs in Southern California. With Real So Cal, she qualified for the U15 and U16 regional championships and tallied three goals and one assist during her U18 season, signaling her potential as a college recruit.
Path to Professional Soccer
Nabet’s club performances with Real So Cal earned her a place on the Duke Blue Devils roster for the 2017 NCAA Division I women’s soccer season. Over the next five years, she progressed into a leadership role within a competitive Atlantic Coast Conference program. Her development at Duke combined competitive high-level soccer with a demanding academic workload.
As a junior in 2019, Nabet started all 20 matches and contributed four assists, establishing herself as a reliable two-way midfielder. In her senior campaign, she served as team co-captain and helped guide the Blue Devils to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Championship. When the NCAA granted an extra year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Nabet returned for a fifth season in 2021, again co-captaining the squad on another quarterfinal run while pursuing a master’s degree in business management at Duke’s Fuqua School of Business. She ultimately graduated with a degree in sociology and later completed her graduate studies at Fuqua.
Lily Nabet Career
Early Career at Duke (2017–2021)
Nabet spent five seasons with the Duke Blue Devils women’s soccer program, evolving from a freshman contributor into a veteran leader. Her most consistent statistical season came as a junior in 2019, when she started every match and added four assists from the midfield. Duke reached the NCAA Division I tournament quarterfinals in both 2020 and 2021, with Nabet serving as a co-captain during the latter season.
Her combination of technical passing, work rate, and tactical awareness drew the attention of NWSL scouts. By the time she declared for the draft, Nabet was regarded as a polished central midfielder with strong distribution skills and a willingness to defend. Her academic record at Duke, including a master’s degree pursuit at Fuqua, also reflected a disciplined and focused approach to her career.
Angel City FC Era (2022–2025)
Angel City FC selected Nabet in the third round of the 2022 NWSL Draft, 36th overall. She made her professional debut on June 3, 2022, against the Portland Thorns, and earned her first starting nod on July 1, 2022, also versus Portland. In her rookie season, Nabet appeared in 10 matches and logged 205 minutes, finishing the year as Angel City’s leader in passing accuracy and pressure regains per 90 minutes.
On January 7, 2024, Angel City announced a contract extension that kept Nabet at the club through the 2025 season. She opened the 2024 campaign by starting and playing 88 minutes in a 1–0 victory over the Chicago Red Stars on April 13, 2024, delivering the team’s first win of the season. On September 11, 2025, the club sent her on loan to USL Super League side Fort Lauderdale United for the remainder of her Angel City contract.
Fort Lauderdale United Loan (2025)
Nabet joined Fort Lauderdale United on September 11, 2025, and quickly became a starter. Over the course of the loan, she appeared in nine matches and recorded one assist, anchoring the midfield with her passing range and defensive positioning. Her strong form was recognized league-wide when she was named to the USL Super League Team of the Month for November 2025, an honor she earned largely on the strength of her defensive metrics. Nabet departed Fort Lauderdale United at the close of the 2025 calendar year.
Carolina Ascent Era (2026–Present)
In January 2026, Nabet signed with fellow USL Super League club Carolina Ascent, marking a new chapter in her professional career. She made her Carolina Ascent debut on January 31, 2026, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 loss to Sporting JAX that opened the second half of the club’s season. The move positioned her as an experienced central midfielder in a young Carolina Ascent squad.
Driving Style and Strengths
Nabet operates primarily as a central midfielder whose strengths lie in distribution and defensive awareness. She led Angel City in passing accuracy and pressure regains per 90 minutes during her rookie season, highlighting her efficiency in possession and her willingness to win the ball back. Her performances at Fort Lauderdale United, where she posted strong defensive statistics, reinforced her reputation as a two-way midfielder who can both set the tempo and protect the back line.
Notable Events and Milestones
Key milestones in Nabet’s career include her 2022 NWSL Draft selection by Angel City FC, her first professional start against the Portland Thorns in July 2022, and Angel City’s first win of the 2024 season over the Chicago Red Stars in which she played 88 minutes. Her selection to the USL Super League Team of the Month in November 2025 stands as one of her first individual league-wide honors.
Lily Nabet Career Wins
As a central midfielder, Nabet’s statistical résumé emphasizes appearances, passing accuracy, and defensive contributions rather than goal-scoring totals. Across her time at Angel City FC, Fort Lauderdale United, and Carolina Ascent, she has accumulated regular-season minutes in both the NWSL and the USL Super League, with individual recognition from the USL Super League in late 2025.
USL Super League Highlights
During her 2025 loan at Fort Lauderdale United, Nabet started regularly in midfield, registering one assist across nine appearances and earning a place on the USL Super League Team of the Month for November 2025. She began her Carolina Ascent tenure in January 2026 with a full 90-minute shift in the club’s first match of the second half of the season.
Other Performances
At Duke, Nabet contributed to back-to-back NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Championship quarterfinal runs in 2020 and 2021, serving as a co-captain in both seasons. She finished her rookie NWSL campaign in 2022 as Angel City’s leader in passing accuracy and pressure regains per 90 minutes, a defensive-oriented statistical category that underscored her value to the team.
Lily Nabet Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Lily Nabet is the daughter of David Nabet and Shadi Nabet, both of whom emigrated from Iran to the United States. Growing up in a first-generation Iranian American household in Tarzana, California, Nabet developed alongside her two brothers, Amin and Matin. Her family’s athletic and academic values helped shape her disciplined approach to the sport.
Personal Life
Nabet pursued higher education at Duke University, where she earned a degree in sociology and later completed a master’s degree in business management at the Fuqua School of Business. She has been active on social media, maintaining public accounts where she shares updates about her professional and academic life. Her parents and brothers have remained a visible support system throughout her transition from youth soccer to the professional ranks.
2025 Season Performance
Nabet began 2025 in the final year of her Angel City FC contract, having re-signed with the club in January 2024. Her regular-season role with Angel City set the stage for a midseason move, and on September 11, 2025, the NWSL club loaned her to USL Super League side Fort Lauderdale United for the remainder of her deal.
At Fort Lauderdale United, Nabet slotted directly into the starting midfield, making nine appearances and contributing one assist. Her defensive numbers were particularly strong, leading to her selection to the USL Super League Team of the Month for November 2025. The loan provided Nabet with consistent first-team minutes that had been harder to come by in the NWSL, allowing her to sharpen her two-way game against professional opposition.
Heading into 2026, Nabet’s strong USL Super League form positioned her for a permanent transfer. In January 2026, she signed with Carolina Ascent, where she made an immediate impact by playing a full 90 minutes in her debut on January 31, 2026. The move signaled confidence from Carolina Ascent’s staff in Nabet’s ability to lead a young midfield group through the second half of the USL Super League season.