Kelly Pierce believed in equality for female athletes and she was also an advocate for keeping children safe. Her family spoke about Kelly’s leadership skills as a child, a child who protected her siblings and her cousins whenever she organized games against other children. No one fooled with Kelly then and no one fooled with Kelly as an adult.
Kelly Pierce’s mother Donna talks to the media after Salpointe retired Kelly’s jersey (14) before a match with Salpointe Friday night. Kelly passed away in August at the age of 44. pic.twitter.com/07GpzbEZnq
— Andy Morales (@AndyMorales8) January 31, 2026
Her accolades at Salpointe as a player and as a coach are documented to the point of being chiseled in stone. She won two state championships as a player and then came back as an adult to coach the Lancers to six state championships from 2018 to 2025. At her rate, she might have led the program to well over a dozen titles had she lived along enough to see her hair turn grey but she passed away last August at the age of 44.
Her beating heart was imperfect on the inside but the heart we felt on her outside was healthier than most – made ours stronger. The imperfections we carry inside us are typically reflected in the imperfections we see on the outside but only the best of us carry on and do good while we are unwell on the inside and Kelly did well. Her physical heart gave out but the heart she passed on to her players will live as long as she is remembered, and she will be remembered.
Kelly wore a shirt during matches that read, “EQUALITY.” We all know what it meant. As the father of three daughters who were all-state athletes with multiple state championships myself, I definitely knew what she meant.
Most coaches would shy away from wearing such a bold statement and that’s understandable, it’s doubtful another coach will, and Salpointe made it clear that no other soccer player will wear Kelly’s jersey, ever. The school retired her number 14 from her playing days during a ceremony held Friday before a match with Nogales.
Her family was handed her framed jersey by the current set of seniors and her mother Donna was given Kelly’s championship ring from last season. For one brief moment there were smiles on the pitch and some of those smiles turned to laughter. Her heart made us stronger.
Senior members of the @schsgsoccer team presented the Pierce family with Kelly Pierce’s jersey before the match with Nogales Friday night. The team also presented Kelly’s mother with a championship ring Kelly earned last year, her sixth as a coach to go along with two she earned… pic.twitter.com/4LJHXbGVmo
— Andy Morales (@AndyMorales8) January 31, 2026
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