Kelly Pierce passed away on Aug. 1 at the age of 44 and she is considered the top female soccer figure in the history of Southern Arizona with numerous championships and accolades as a player and as a coach, from youth through the WPSL. Those championships include two as a player at Salpointe and six as a coach, with the sixth coming last winter. Her passing was beyond tragic for her family and the Tucson community but is also left a void at Salpointe. Who could possibly lead the Lancers?

Former Salpointe and University of Arizona standout Jessica ‘Culver’ Rushton spent some time as an assistant to Pierce at the club level and she had high school experience with Pusch Ridge. It turns out Rushton was a logical choice on many levels.

“It was an obvious huge transition for the players, and I wanted to make it as smooth as possible so right away I wanted to meet with the girls by class and get to know them and for them to get to know me, really, and just start building that trust and that trust and that connection,” Rushton explained before her first match with her team on Monday.

“Thankfully, I knew a handful the girls coming into the program coaching club with Kelly the previous year but a lot of the seniors had no idea who I was and, being that they've been here for three years now, four years, I definitely wanted to establish that relationship with them and that trust.”

Salpointe is hosting the Brandon Bean tournament this week and the girl’s side of the tournament was renamed to honor Pierce. Brandon Bean was a former player at Salpointe who passed away from an injury suffered in a scrimmage in 1992 and the tournament was named in his honor in 1993 and it continues for the boys. The Salpointe girls opened with a 4-0 victory over Tanque Verde on Monday and the boys also beat Tanque Verde 4-0.

Rushton has the distinction of beating the vaunted Catalina Foothills squad at the Brandon Bean as a freshman in 2004. Her goal held the Falcons off 1-0 in the championship final of the invitational that year. Catalina Foothills was in the middle of winning four state championships at the time and it was the only loss for the team that year. Rushton went on to play for Arizona after she graduated.

“There will never be another Kelly Pierce. I will never be Kelly Pierce, but I'm going to do my best,” Rushton added. “I feel truly blessed to have spent the past year coaching club with her and when she asked me to coach with her, I was like, absolutely, I'm not going to say no to coaching with the best female coach in Tucson. Coaching club with her and seeing how the mind of Kelly Pierce worked and how she runs a practice, and, most importantly, treats her players, not just as players, but as human beings, who wants to see the best for them, not only on the soccer field but off the field.”

No, there will never be another Kelly Pierce but I’m excited to see what the future holds for Rushton and her Lancers. Pierce’s mother and aunt were in the stands for the first game of the Rushton era and one had the feeling Kelly was there also.

 

BRANDON BEAN AND KELLY PIERCE CLASSIC

 

MONDAY, DECEMBER 1

B: Tucson 2, Mica Mountain 1

B: Flowing Wells 2, Walden Grove 0

B: Sunnyside 2, Pusch Ridge 0

B: Salpointe 4, Tanque Verde 0

G: Marana 1, Mica Mountain 0

G: Walden Grove 6, Flowing Wells 0

G: Pusch Ridge 7, Sunnyside 0

G: Salpointe 4, Tanque Verde 0

 

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2

B: Sahuaro vs. Mica Mountain, noon

B: Nogales vs. Flowing Wells, 1:30 p.m.

B: Ironwood Ridge vs. Pusch Ridge, 3 p.m.

B: Buena vs. Tanque Verde, 4:30 p.m.

G: Mountain View vs. Mica Mountain, noon

G: Tucson vs. Flowing Wells, 1:30 p.m.

G: Ironwood Ridge vs. Pusch Ridge, 3 p.m.

G: Buena vs. Tanque Verde, 4:30 p.m.

 

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 3

B: Sahuaro vs. Tucson, noon

B: Walden Grove vs. Nogales, 1:30 p.m.

B: Sunnyside vs. Ironwood Ridge, 3 p.m.

B: Salpointe vs. Buena, 4:30 p.m.

G: Marana vs. Mountain View, noon

G: Walden Grove vs. Tucson, 1:30 p.m.

G: Sunnyside vs.. Ironwood Ridge, 3 p.m.

G: Salpointe vs. Buena, 4:30 p.m.

 

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4

B/G: 9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.

 

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5

B: 10:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.

G: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.