Bio

Katie LaForge is entering her eighth season as the head coach at Avila in 2025-26.

The 2024-25 season was LaForge’s most successful at the helm of the women’s soccer program.

Avila finished 13-3-4 – the program’s most since the 2013 season – and made its way to the KCAC Tournament semifinals, where the Eagles narrowly lost in a shootout, marking the furthest the women’s soccer program has advanced in the conference tournament since 2021.

LaForge has now increased Avila's win total in each of the last three seasons.

For her heroics on the sidelines and guiding the Eagles during one of the best seasons in program history, LaForge was named the Avila Athletics Daryl Cronk Staff Member of the Year.

The Eagles 2024 season saw a litany of individual honors, including Cali Lasater being named the KCAC Freshman of the Year and Addison Yinger’s selection as the KCAC Newcomer of the Year. Lasater and Yinger were the first two recipients of a KCAC individual award in program history. Additionally, Yinger and Lasater were also named All-KCAC First Team.

Lasater (Freshman) and Yinger (Transfer) were also honored in Avila Athletics’ End of Season Awards.

LaForge also coached six more student-athletes to All-KCAC Selections in 2024, including a Second Team selection for goalkeeper Kenan Ebel. Avila had four players selected as a KCAC Player of the Week in 2024, including three from Ebel, the most individual selections in the conference.

LaForge's sixth season in charge in 2023 saw the Eagles finish the season at 6-6-1 with a quarterfinal appearance in the conference tournament, where they fell to eventual champion Oklahoma Wesleyan. The Eagles had four players earn Honorable Mention All-KCAC recognition in 2023-24.

In LaForge's fifth season at Avila in 2022, the Eagles compiled a five-win season and made an appearance in the KCAC Tournament quarterfinal. Avila had three All-KCAC selections in 2022, including Second Team selection Kirryn Killingsworth.

The Eagles had three All-KCAC selections in 2021, highlighted by a Second Team appearance from Megan Nugent.

In 2020, Avila women’s soccer recorded a strong season, notching a 10-6-1 record – the program’s highest win total since 2013 – with seven All-KCAC selections and a KCAC Tournament semifinal appearance for the second-straight season. LaForge increased the program’s win total in each of her first three seasons in charge.

LaForge’s second season at Avila in 2019 saw Avila pick up nine wins and a KCAC Tournament semifinal appearance.

In her first season in charge, LaForge looked to lay the groundwork for the women’s soccer program, notching five victories – a drastic improvement after taking over a winless program from 2017.

LaForge joined Avila following a successful stint as the assistant coach at Kansas City Kansas Community College, and has also served as the head coach for the KC Courage of the WPSL. LaForge has been very involved in player development at the club level, has spent the last 5 years as the Girls Director at Alliance FC and 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 (Sweden), before moving to Hammarby IF (Sweden) in 2011. She appeared in 99 professional games, scoring 10 goals.

In addition to her club appearances, LaForge earned a call-up to the Canadian Women's National Team camp in 2011.

LaForge played collegiately at Marquette University, 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 2009 with a degree in public relations and marketing.

She has strong Avila ties, as both of her parents are Eagle alumni. LaForge played her prep soccer at St. Teresa's Academy in Kansas City, Mo. While at STA, LaForge helped the Stars to three state championships, earning Missouri State Player of the Year, High School All-American, and 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, 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 the Canada Women's National Team in 2017 and her brother, Robert, is the current head coach of the men’s soccer program at Avila.

In addition to producing strong successes from her student-athletes, LaForge has built an impressive coaching tree, with former assistant coach Brooklyn Elder now the head coach at Spurgeon College.

LaForge lives in Kansas City with her husband, Brian, and three children, Gerard, Gianna and Genevra.