Genuinely Good at Soccer
Western women’s soccer team captain, Gabriela Pelogi, gracefully leads on and off the field
Story by TYLER URKE
As she leapt and met the soccer ball orbiting her head, leg muscles rippling from propelling her 5-foot-4 frame off the earth, Gabriela Pelogi knew the gravity of this moment. She had journeyed through space many times before now — but this time was different.
Her pigtailed dome guided the ball into the net and the Vikings snagged a 1–0 lead over rival Seattle Pacific less than two minutes into the game. Teammates swarmed her and Pelogi beamed. But she had to play it cool until halftime.
Pelogi was subbed out near the end of the half. She jogged to the bench and met assistant coach Claire Morgan for a few in-game adjustments and strict soccer-talk. Pelogi couldn’t let the former Western forward know what she was up to. After soaking in her coach’s lesson and subsequent halftime speech, it was Pelogi’s time to strike.
With as straight of a face as she could muster, Pelogi shed her black warm-up jacket and prepared to start the second half. Just before sprinting to her spot on the field, she turned to Morgan and finally broke character.
“Claire! I scored more goals than you!” Pelogi bragged as she disappeared onto her turf sanctuary before Morgan could respond.
Pelogi had just passed her coach on Western’s all-time goals scored list, but she didn’t tell Morgan this to be malicious. Moments like this embody who Pelogi is as a person and as a soccer player. Her whimsical nature is in stark contrast to leaders who rule with an iron fist — Morgan said when the moment calls for positive energy, Pelogi is the one to do or say the right thing.
“She might be the most genuine person I’ve ever met,” Morgan said. “Her smile lights up a room.”
Pelogi has been tasked with scoring goals for the Vikings since she stepped on campus. She is currently ranked fifth in Western history with 43 career goals which is just one of many prestigious records and awards she has earned.
While scoring goals is sexy, Pelogi didn’t start playing soccer for the accolades. Growing up in a Brazilian orphanage, playing soccer in the streets was her escape from the realities of the real world.
“Soccer is just where I come in and I block everything out of my mind,” Pelogi said. “It makes me think about Brazil, too. How I used to play there and play with my friends. Soccer has always been part of me. That’s where I started. That’s where my love came from. That’s what I hold on to.”
When Pelogi was adopted at 12 years old, joining a soccer team seemed like a natural progression. While her raw athleticism and instincts helped her shine, she didn’t have a feel for organized soccer yet.
“I would just be running everywhere and they [her coaches] would yell at me, ‘No, you stay up top!’” Pelogi said.
Nevertheless, Pelogi tried out and was selected to play for Washington Premiere, an elite, independent soccer program, just two years after coming to America. She made the B-squad at 14 and the A-team a year later.
However, during Pelogi’s freshman year at Western, she didn’t play much at first because she wasn’t working hard and defending, according to Morgan. Despite her natural talent, Pelogi still hadn’t learned the importance of playing defense and wasn’t invited on the team trip to St. Edwards University in Austin.
“It was like a switch went off in her head after that,” Morgan said.
Two matches later, Pelogi scored her first collegiate goal en route to 10 goals in the final 12 games of the regular season.
“We call upon her to pull stuff out of thin air,” Morgan said. “Just go do you, Gabi.”
Morgan said what makes Pelogi special is her ability to elevate her game in the brightest moments. Pelogi is tied for second in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference in game-winning goals this year, with four.
Earlier this season, a defender stole the ball from Pelogi, and as she zoomed past Western’s bench to give chase, Morgan asked her a question.
“I said, ‘Is she better than you?’ and Gabi shook her head” Morgan said. “So, I told her ‘Don’t let her take the ball from you then.’”
Pelogi’s ability to flip a switch and go from a fierce competitor to radiating love and kindness make her one of the most unique captains Morgan has had the pleasure of coaching.
During halftime of a game earlier this year, head coach Travis Connell gave an intense speech to the team, according to Morgan. The Vikings emerged from the locker room locked in on playing better in the second half. But, on the trek back to the field, Pelogi spotted former teammate Elise Alyward in the bleachers and had to take a detour to embrace her.
“It’s not that she’s not focused on the game,” Morgan said. “It’s just that she’s happy to see her and she’s going to go give her a hug and then it’s time to move back on to the game. She has taught me a lot about being a good person and not being afraid of being a good person.”