Marykate Loper

Marykate Loper
Personal information
Full name Marykate McGuire Loper[1]
Birth name Marykate Francis McGuire[2]
Date of birth (2000-03-04) March 4, 2000
Place of birth Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.
Height 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)
Position Forward
Team information
Current team
 Charleston Cougars (assistant)
Youth career
New England FC
Boston Breakers Academy
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018–2021 Duke Blue Devils 80 (19)
2022 Ole Miss Rebels 14 (7)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2023 Team Boca Blast – (5)
2024–2025 Lexington SC 19 (4)
Managerial career
2026– Charleston Cougars (assistant)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Marykate McGuire Loper (née McGuire; born March 4, 2000) is an American soccer coach and former professional player who is currently an assistant coach for the Charleston Cougars. She played college soccer for the Duke Blue Devils and the Ole Miss Rebels before spending one season playing professionally for USL Super League club Lexington SC.

Early life

Loper was born in Providence, Rhode Island,[2] to former University of Rhode Island collegiate athletes Matt McGuire and Karen Amber.[3] She started off playing club soccer with New England FC[4] and was the US Youth Soccer National Championship top scorer as the club won the tournament in 2013.[5] Loper also played for the Boston Breakers Academy[3] and Rhode Island's ODP team, being named the state ODP Player of the Year in 2013.[2]

Loper played high school soccer for Portsmouth High, although she spent one season at St. George's School as a sophomore.[6] Despite missing her senior season of play with a knee injury,[7] Loper was thrice named Rhode Island's Gatorade Player of the Year and totaled 81 goals across both programs.[3][8]

College career

Duke Blue Devils

Loper dreamed of playing Division I college soccer since elementary school[7] and verbally committed to Duke University as a high school freshman.[6] She joined the Blue Devils program in 2018 and played in all 17 of Duke's games in her first year.[2] Loper scored her first collegiate goal on August 26, 2018, in a 3–0 victory over the Elon Phoenix.[9] Her 7 freshman assists, including one in the NCAA tournament second round, ranked for third-most on the team.[10]

The following year, Loper had a breakout season.[10] She led the Blue Devils with 9 goals and was able to record a four-game goal streak in September 2019.[2] Loper then kicked off her junior year with a bang, scoring two goals in the season opener against Wake Forest and earning ACC Offensive Player of the Week honors.[11] She was the team leader in assists and contributed to the Blue Devils reaching the NCAA Elite Eight.[10] At the end of the season, Loper was named to the All-ACC Academic Team and the ACC Academic Honor Roll. As a senior, Loper added 17 more matches and 4 goals to her tally. She finished her time at Duke with 80 appearances and 19 goals to her name.[2]

Ole Miss Rebels

After her four years at Duke, Loper transferred to the University of Mississippi in order to pursue a Master of Arts degree.[12] She used the extra year of eligibility granted to athletes due to the COVID-19 pandemic to also play a fifth year of soccer.[10] Loper tallied her first goal with the Ole Miss Rebels in the team's season opener, a 5–0 victory over Southeastern Louisiana on August 18, 2022.[13] Loper ended up earning 14 appearances (all starts) and recorded 7 goals, averaging a goal every other game.[14]

Club career

Loper registered for the 2023 NWSL Draft but was ultimately not selected.[15] She then joined Team Boca Blast in the amateur Women's Premier Soccer League. Loper scored 5 goals and registered 1 assist for the Floridan club in her single season of play.[16] Boca Blast did not return to the WPSL in 2024.[17]

On June 17, 2024, Loper signed a contract with Lexington SC ahead of the inaugural USL Super League season.[18] She scored her first Super League goal in Lexington's home stadium debut, which was a 3–2 defeat to Tampa Bay Sun FC.[19] In October and November, Loper had a run of scoring 3 goals within 6 games,[20] bringing her total goal tally to 4 going into the league's mid-season break.[21] She totaled 19 appearances (11 starts)[20] with Lexington before departing from the club at the end of the season.[22]

International career

In 2013, Loper received her first youth international call-up, joining the United States U-14 team for a training camp in Carson, California.[5] She later received call-ups to U-16 and U-18 camps in 2015 and 2017, respectively.[2]

Coaching career

In March 2026, Loper joined the coaching staff of the Charleston Cougars women's soccer team as an assistant coach.[23]

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[20]
Club Season League Cup Playoffs Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Lexington SC 2024–25 USL Super League 19 4 — — 19 4
Career total 19 4 0 0 0 0 19 4

References

  1. ↑ "DWS: Blue Devil Alumni Spotlight - Marykate McGuire Loper". Duke Blue Devils. June 19, 2026. Retrieved June 19, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Marykate McGuire - 2021 - Women's Soccer". Duke University. Retrieved March 29, 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 Power Eaton, Bre (April 10, 2018). "Kicking and dreaming". Newport Daily News. Retrieved March 29, 2025.
  4. ↑ McGaw, Jim (July 19, 2013). "Portsmouth girl headed to U.S. Soccer National Championships". EastBayRI.com. Retrieved March 29, 2025.
  5. 1 2 Koch, Bill. "Portsmouth girls soccer freshman star Marykate McGuire is going places". The Providence Journal. Retrieved March 29, 2025.
  6. 1 2 Krueger, Josh. "Years in the making: Marykate McGuire signs with Duke". Newport Daily News. Retrieved March 29, 2025.
  7. 1 2 McGaw, Jim (February 10, 2018). "Portsmouth's Marykate McGuire realizes goal, signs with Duke". EastBayRI.com. Retrieved March 29, 2025.
  8. ↑ Staff Writer. "Portsmouth's Marykate McGuire selected as Gatorade R.I. Girls Soccer Player of the Year". The Providence Journal. Retrieved March 29, 2025.
  9. ↑ "No. 11 Duke Drops Elon, 3-0". Duke University. Retrieved March 29, 2025.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "Soccer Adds Duke Graduate Transfer Marykate McGuire". Ole Miss Athletics - Hotty Toddy. Retrieved March 29, 2025.
  11. ↑ "Duke's McGuire, Pitt's McKay Earn ACC Player of the Week Honors". theacc.com. September 15, 2020. Retrieved March 29, 2025.
  12. ↑ Belmore, Ryan (February 14, 2023). "Portsmouth's Marykate McGuire is among December 2022 graduates from University of Mississippi". What's Up Newp. Retrieved March 29, 2025.
  13. ↑ "No. 18 Ole Miss stumps Southeastern Louisiana". SEC Sports. August 18, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2025.
  14. ↑ "Marykate McGuire - Soccer". Ole Miss Athletics - Hotty Toddy. Retrieved March 29, 2025.
  15. ↑ "Updated list of registered players revealed ahead of 2023 NWSL Draft". SoccerWire. Retrieved March 29, 2025.
  16. ↑ "Roster | Women's Premier Soccer League". wpslsoccer.com. Retrieved March 29, 2025.
  17. ↑ "PRESS RELEASE: 2024 SCHEDULE". WPSL Soccer. March 21, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2025.
  18. ↑ "Lexington SC announces official signing of Marykate McGuire to inaugural USL Super League roster". Lexington Sporting Club. Retrieved March 29, 2025.
  19. ↑ "Lexington SC Super League battles against Tampa Bay Sun FC in stadium-debuting battle". Lexington Sporting Club. Retrieved March 29, 2025.
  20. 1 2 3 Marykate Loper at Soccerway
  21. ↑ Drummond, Cameron (February 13, 2025). "Three things to know as Lexington Sporting Club's pro women's soccer team returns to play". Lexington Herald Leader. Retrieved March 29, 2025.
  22. ↑ "Lexington Sporting Club Announces 2025 Roster Updates for Gainbridge Super League Team". Lexington Sporting Club. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
  23. ↑ "Marykate Loper - Women's Soccer Coach". College of Charleston Athletics. September 21, 2025. Retrieved April 24, 2026.
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