Coaches

Katie LaForge

Katie LaForge (Kelly) is entering her third season as the head coach at Avila. In her first season, she led the women's soccer team to its first conference tournament berth since 2013 and posted the most wins in a season since 2014.


She joined Avila following a successful stint as the assistant coach at Kansas City Community College, and she has also served as the head coach for the KC Courage in the WPSL. She has also been very involved in player development at the club level. LaForge is currently the Director of Player Development for Kansas Elite Soccer Club, and also trains athletes in the Kansas Olympic Development Program.


Prior to moving to the sidelines as a coach, LaForge played professionally for seven seasons, including seven appearances with FC Kansas City in 2013. She made her professional debut in 2010 with Kristianstads DFF, before moving to Hammarby IF in 2011. She recorded 99 professional appearances, scoring 10 goals.


In addition to her professional appearances, LaForge earned a callup to a Canadian Women's National Team camp by John Herdman in 2011, but was not named to the 23-member squad for a friendly against Sweden.


LaForge played collegiately at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where she was a four-year starter for the Golden Eagles from 2005-2008, earning a trip to the Sweet Sixteen in her freshman campaign. She was named to the NCAA All-America Second Team as a senior in 2008 as a right defender, and she graduated from Marquette in the Spring of 2009 with a degree in public relations and marketing.


She has strong Avila ties, as both of her parents are Eagle alumni, and she played her prep soccer at St. Teresa's Academy in Kansas City, Mo. While at STA, LaForge helped the Stars to three state championships in four seasons, earning all-state and all-district honors in each of her final three seasons.


Her father, Neil Kelly, '85, starred on the men's soccer team for four seasons, helping the Eagles to their first ever NAIA District 16 Championship and the No. 1 overall seed in the NAIA Championships during the 1982 season. The 1982 team was inducted into the Avila Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005. Her mother, Shelley, '87, played tennis at Avila, and joined the Avila University Board of Counselors in 2017. Her brother, Patrick, also played on Avila's men's soccer team in 2011 before transferring to and graduating from Marquette. LaForge's sister, Maegan, has made one appearance for Canada, in a 3-1 loss to the United States in 2017.


LaForge lives in Kansas City with her husband Brian and son Gerard.

Brooklynn Meinke Elder