Wendy Louque is the Founder of the KC Courage and serves as Assistant Coach for the KC Courage WPSL team. She served as Head Coach for the KC Courage from 2014-2017. Before founding the KC Courage, she was Head Coach for the Kansas City Shock WPSL team in 2013. For 11 seasons as an assistant at JCCC, Coach Louque helped coach the JCCC Women’s team to a NJCAA Division I runner-up finish, a District Championship and five Region VI Championships.
Louque has been involved with coaching at various levels of soccer for the past 40 years. She has been involved with two Christian soccer organizations, Athletes in Action (AIA) and Ultimate Goal Ministries (UGM). Louque has coached internationally for both organizations, first traveling to Sweden in 2003 coaching UGM’s U-19 girls team in the Gothia Cup. In 2005, 2006 and 2007 she traveled with AIA, coaching the South American Women’s Tour, with games in Brazil and Paraguay.
A Louisiana native, Coach Louque began her collegiate career at Southern Mississippi. After one season, she returned to her native state, transferring to LSU. Along with her collegiate experience, Louque played on three Louisiana state cup teams, and was a four-time all-state performer in high school.
In 2011, Louque was selected by the NSCAA as the Regional Assistant Coach of the year and National Assistant Coach of the Year, becoming the first female and first junior college coach to earn this honor. Coach Louque was chosen as the 2019 MLS Works Sporting KC Community MVP, which recognized her contribution to the Kansas City Soccer Community.
Coach Louque received her bachelor’s degree in Journalism from LSU and her master’s in Organizational Administration and Leadership from MidAmerica Nazarene University. Coach Louque and her husband have three children and currently live in Joplin, MO where she serves as an Assistant Coach at MSSU.
Aliesha Cassie Aliesha (Liesh) serves as Director of Operations for the KC Courage. Born and raised in Banff Scotland, Aliesha played collegiately in the US with stints at the University of Texas at Brownsville and Park University. She graduated with a bachelors in Criminal Justice.
After graduating, Aliesha joined the Kansas City Shock in 2013 and continued to play under Coach Wendy with the KC Courage in 2014 and the following years before hanging up her boots in 2019. She was a 2017 WPSL All-Star and 2018 Central Region All-Conference player.
Aliesha is currently the coach of the U10 Smithville Avengers and previously coach the Smithville Warriors U12 for the 2019-2021 seasons. Aliesha was a Probation officer for 7 years before a slight career changed and is now a legal assistant for a local attorney.
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Katie LaForge (formerly Kelly) has served as both Head Coach and assistant for the KC Courage WPSL team and this summer she returns as Head Coach of the KC Courage WPSL team. Coach Katie is the current Head Women's Soccer Coach at Avila University and the former Assistant Coach at KCKCC.
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Prior to the start of her coaching career, Coach Katie played collegiately at Marquette University and was a local standout at St. Teresa's Academy. She has played professionally for six seasons all over the world. She began her professional career in Sweden, playing for Kristianstad in 2010 and Stockholm in 2011. The 2012 season was spent in Leipzig, Germany before returning to Kansas City with FC Kansas City in 2013. Her last two seasons were spent in Finland in Kokkola and Aland. Coach Katie transferred her pro to amateur status in 2017 and played for the KC Courage WPSL team.
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Coach Katie was named 2022 UWS2 Coach of the Year. In 2023, along with Coach Candice, was named WPSL Heartland Conference Coach of the Year.
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Coach Katie received her bachelor's degree in Public Relations and Marketing from Marquette University. She holds a Master's Degree in Organizational Development & Leadership Coaching from Avila University and a USSF "A" license. She currently resides in Kansas City with her husband, Brian, and their two children.
Melissa Blount is a current Assistant Coach for the KC Courage WPSL team and has previously served as coach for the KC Courage HS Alternative Soccer Team responsible for goalkeeper training. Blount is a former assistant coach at JCCC, as well as a staff coach for KCSG. She holds a USSF "C" license.
As a player at the University of Tulsa, Blount left a legacy of success while defending the nets. For her career, Blount established a Tulsa record for career goals against average at 1.21, allowing 60 goals in 4440:42 minutes of action. She also set the career marks for shutouts with 16, and her 221 career saves were second all-time in Hurricane history. In addition, she was a WPSL player for the KC Courage from 2014-2021 and holds the distinguished honor as one of the oldest players in the league. Blount and her husband, Brandon, have two daughters and live in Lenexa.
Jason Belz is the current Performance Coach for the KC Courage. His company, A Greater You (AGY), works with many collegiate and professional athletes in the Kansas City metro area. AGY specializes in group-training; creating a sense of COMMUNITY as they focus on attainable & maintainable transformation.
Maintainable transformation is attained by consistently & confidently working to master the next step in the process. [Habit formation, skill development, self-awareness, priority evaluation, nutrition education & more.]
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Taylor Gonzales is the Head coach for the Girls HS Alternative Training Program. Coach Taylor played for the KC Courage WPSL team from 2014-2017 and was named a WPSL All-Star. She has worked as a Sports Performance Coach for the past 10 years, training thousands of athletes ranging from professional players to club and youth players. She has a wealth of experience working with teams, individuals, and small groups.
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Coach Taylor played collegiately for the University of Montevallo where she was a four year starter, leading the team in goals, assists, and points three out of her four years for the Falcons. At the conclusion of her playing career, her coaches created an award in her honor: The Gonzo Award, which would be handed down each year to the player who embodied what it meant to be a leader, teammate, and someone who put the needs of the team above her own. She was also named an All-Region runner for cross country, indoor, and outdoor track, qualifying for the Cross Country National Championships in her first ever season of Cross Country. After transferring to Washburn for her Master's degree, she proceeded to run national qualifiers in both the 3,000m and 5,000m, and later became the conference champion in the 5,000m and school record holder/runner up in the 1,500m.
Coach Taylor has earned two undergraduate degrees from the University of Montevallo, one in Exercise Science, and one in Dietetics. She is currently pursuing her Master's degree in Communications and Leadership at Washburn as she competes in her final season of track. and excited to start working with the Courage this spring.
Dr. Chelsea Jerabek, PT, DPT is the WPSL team healthcare provider for the KC Courage. Dr. Chelsea played college soccer at Rockhurst University before health issues forced her to stop playing. As a former college athlete, she brings first hand knowledge of what it takes to be successful and especially the importance of preventative care and injury prevention.
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Dr. Chelsea owns Thrive Physical Therapy and empowers her patients to define the way they live their own life by providing treatments, education, and tools to every athlete to restore their body and health to be able to thrive. Services provided at Thrive Physical Therapy include, ACL injury, Concussion Care, Cupping, Dry Needling, Pain Management, Post-Op Recovery and Sports Medicine.
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Candice Fabry joined the KC Courage in 2021 and served as Associate Head Coach for the KC Courage WPSL team until 2024. Coach Candice has over 15 years coaching experience at both the youth and collegiate levels. She is the current Head Coach at Ottawa University and has held multiple DOC roles in Ohio and Iowa as well as Kansas ODP State and Regional coaching positions.
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Formerly from the Chicago area, Coach Candice played with Naperville Soccer Association and Sockers FC before heading to the University of Toledo, where she helped her team to a MAC Tournament Title.
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Coach Candice is no stranger to the KC Courage's mission to empower women in sport. With a passion for supporting initiatives for female professionals, Coach Candice Co-Founded the Iowa Women in Soccer Alliance and is the owner of Fearless & Capable, a female sport mentorship program that kicked off in the fall of 2020. In 2023 she was chosen as the WPSL Heartland Conference Coach of the Year.
Coach Candice received her bachelor's degree from the University of Toledo and her Master's degree from the University of Illinois-Champaign. She holds a USSF "A" License and is also a Grassroots Coaching Instructor for US Soccer. She and her husband, Paul, live in Kansas City with their two children and two dogs.