Hundreds gathered Saturday in the gymnasium at Salpointe Catholic High School to celebrate the life of Kelly Pierce, the school’s revered women’s soccer coach who passed away unexpectedly on Aug. 1 at age 44 from cardiac arrest.
Pierce served as both player and coach at Salpointe, and was remembered by family, colleagues, students and former players for her extraordinary leadership and advocacy for women’s equality in sports.
Bella Malovich, a two-year captain under Pierce, spoke movingly of her former coach’s personal impact. “I play outside back and I played the winger for Kelly, which I loved because those were her positions and I was kind of able to connect with her that way,” Malovich said…