Maggie Pierce (soccer)
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.jpg) Pierce with the Carolina Ascent in 2025 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Margaret Julia Pierce[1] | ||
| Date of birth | August 10, 2001 | ||
| Place of birth | New York City, U.S. | ||
| Height | 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m) | ||
| Position(s) | |||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Shelbourne | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2015–2016 | Cardinal Gibbons Crusaders | ||
| 2017–2018 | North Carolina Courage | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2019–2022 | North Carolina Tar Heels | 80 | (1) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016 | Oak City United | ||
| 2023–2024 | Shelbourne | 40 | (2) |
| 2025 | Carolina Ascent (USL W) | 6 | (0) |
| 2025 | Carolina Ascent | 1 | (0) |
| 2026– | Shelbourne | 0 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 2017 | United States U-17 | 1 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 15:41, December 23, 2025 (UTC) | |||
Margaret Julia Pierce (born August 10, 2001) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder or defender for Irish Women's Premier Division club Shelbourne. She played college soccer for the North Carolina Tar Heels.
Pierce was born in New York City as one of three daughters to Scott and Jennifer Pierce.[1] She grew up in Cary, North Carolina, and attended Cardinal Gibbons High School and Crossroads Flex High School.[1] She announced her verbal commitment to the University of North Carolina at age 14.[2] In two seasons at Cardinal Gibbons, she scored 31 goals in 34 games, earned all-state and All-American honors, and helped the team to the state title game in 2017.[1] She also ran track in high school.[1]
Pierce played club soccer for the North Carolina Courage Academy (previously CASL) in the Elite Clubs National League and the Girls' Development Academy.[3] She also played for Oak City United in the Women's Premier Soccer League.[4] TopDrawerSoccer ranked Pierce as the 35th-best prospect of the 2019 class.[5]
College career
Pierce played in 80 games for the North Carolina Tar Heels, primarily off the bench.[1] In her freshman year in 2019, she helped the team win the ACC tournament and advance to the NCAA tournament title game, playing 24 minutes in the shootout loss to Stanford.[1] During her sophomore year in 2020, she sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury in the ACC tournament final against Florida State, forcing her to sit out the spring portion of the pandemic-delayed season.[6] She scored her only college goal during her junior season in 2021, providing the overtime game winner against Boston College.[1] In her senior year in 2022, she made a career-high 13 starts and again helped the Tar Heels to the NCAA tournament title game, playing 37 minutes of the overtime loss to UCLA.[1]
Club career
Shelbourne
North Carolina Tar Heels assistant coach Heather O'Reilly, whose final professional stop was with Shelbourne, recommended that Pierce pursue the Irish club after college.[7] After a trial with Fortuna Hjørring in Denmark, Pierce joined the Irish title holders for the 2023 season.[8] On March 4, she started on the opening matchday and saved a shot off the goal line as Shelbourne won 6–0 against Cork City.[9] Her first professional goal came during a 4–1 win over league winners-to-be Peamount United on March 29.[10]
After initially playing at right back, Pierce was also deployed at center back and center midfielder over the course of the year.[8] In September, she played in both of Shelbourne's games in the 2023–24 UEFA Women's Champions League qualifying rounds.[10] She wound up appearing in every game for the club in all competitions in 2023, playing 97% of the available minutes.[11] She was named in the Women's Premier Division Team of the Season after Shelbourne placed second in the league.[12] Her contributions helped the club limit league opponents to 13 goals in 20 games, and her teammates voted her the 1895 Player of the Year.[11]
Pierce re-signed with Shelbourne for the 2024 season.[13] On September 7, she scored her only goal of the season, helping Shelbourne win 4–2 against Treaty United and remain top of the standings for the time being.[14] On October 20, she raised her first professional trophy when Shelbourne won the 2024 FAI Women's Cup, defeating Athlone Town by 6–1 in the final.[15] After another runner-up finish in the league, Pierce was again included in the Team of the Year.[16] Her teammates voted her the club's Player of the Year, while manager Eoin Wearen praised her "energy, selflessness, versatility, and ability on the ball".[17]
Carolina Ascent
USL Super League club Carolina Ascent announced on July 15, 2025, that Pierce had signed with the club, returning to her home state.[18] She had made six appearances that summer for the Ascent's USL W League side.[19] Pierce made her Super League debut on October 30, 2025, coming on as a substitute in a 2–1 victory over the Spokane Zephyr. It would be her only appearance for the Ascent before she departed from the club two months later.[20]
Return to Shelbourne
On December 23, 2025, the Ascent announced that they had released Pierce, rendering her free to re-join Shelbourne for another stint in Ireland.[20]
International career
Pierce trained with the United States under-17 team in 2017, appearing in a friendly against England.[21]
