CATAWBA, N.C. — Once known as a promising upstart coming out of middle school, Bandys High School recent grad Gabriela “Gabby” Vatrano lived up to her potential and became a star in the world of soccer.
Vatrano began making a name for herself at just 13-years-old and has not looked back. From her dominance in the U14 league with the Charlotte Soccer Academy to her presence on the field with the Lady Trojans as its show-stopping striker in 2024, she has excelled as a primary scoring force.
She helped shape Bandys into a powerhouse commodity in the Catawba Valley 2A Conference during the 2024 season as it amassed a 13-1 record, the program’s second-straight conference crown.
The Lady Trojans also finished with a 19-3 overall record.
Vatrano was originally with the program as a freshman during the 2020-21 campaign which saw the Lady Trojans post a 3-11 overall record. She finished with 12 goals and 10 assists in the shortened season (according to the Bandys coaching staff).
Since then, Bandys has climbed the ranks thanks to the collective including 2023 graduate Victoria Hefner. Hefner, a multi-time all-conference talent, helped carry the load at the forward/striker position the last two seasons.
After a two-year hiatus from the program, Vatrano returned to the fold this year and achieved great individual success.
Among her individual honors was becoming the Lady Trojans’ record-breaker for goals scored in a single season. The previous record was 43 and on April 25, she garnered four goals in a 9-0 victory over Lincolnton, thus earning her 45th goal in the process.
She also achieved a career-best five goals in the 9-0 victory over conference opponent West Caldwell on April 12.
While away from the Lady Trojans, she competed in leagues that catered to more of a year-round schedule instead of just a seasonal one.
“I played for CSA’s [Charlotte Soccer Academy] ECNL National Team each year after DA [U.S. Soccer Developmental Academy] was dissolved [in 2020],” said Vatrano. “Instead of playing one season per year though, I played an 11 month season and continued to train in Pineville every day with many other kids who chose to either not play high school or they were close enough that they came after their HS training.”
As for her return to the Bandys varsity program during her senior season, Vatrano said she always knew that she wanted to come back and play for them. She just wanted to wait until she was committed to play at the collegiate level before making that decision.
“I think that soccer is much different for recruiting than a lot of other sports,” she said. “High level recruiting for soccer is mainly done at national showcases where a coaching staff can see many players with one trip. With the transfer portal and international players being available now, D1 programs also have a lot more players to choose from so it was important to me to find the right school for me before choosing to play.”
When it comes to her time spent on the Lady Trojans varsity soccer team, Vatrano said that she cherished her freshman campaign even though it was during a tumultuous time because she met a lot of upper-classmen while being able to show the team that she knew what she was doing.
Nevertheless, her senior season gave her more fulfillment.
“My time as a senior was much more special because I was able to help some of the younger players. Even if it was just my preparation or positivity, I think if I helped one or two girls it was a success,” she said. “I was able to meet a lot of new people throughout my two years of high school soccer and was exposed to a very different environment from club soccer, which I enjoyed.
“We had a few strong leaders on our team this season and I enjoyed that because we all worked to help the team gel and succeed, which I think was proven by our success on the field. I do feel that I was personally able to become more of a leader this year as I held a leadership role [as] one of our team captains and was able to be a mentor to younger players on the team.”
During her final run, she continued to add onto the program’s scoring record as the season progressed. Given the offensive success she was able to attain this year, it was apparent she did not rest on her laurels in her two-season absence from the team.
Vatrano aided the Lady Trojans to its first appearance past the opening round of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) 2A West state playoffs in program history.
Bandys earned a second-round victory on May 16, over West Stanly, 4-3, in which she scored three of the team’s four goals.
In what would be her final contest as a Lady Trojan, she scored the team’s lone goal in the third-round state playoff encounter against No. 1-seed Pine Lake Prep on May 20. Bandys succumbed to the Lady Pride, 10-1.
Following the 2024 season, Vatrano officially tallied 63 goals and 21 assists.
Her total goals placed her in a tie for 19th place in the NCHSAA record books for a season. This also put her in 6th place in North Carolina and tied for 12th place in the nation in 2024, according to MaxPreps.
Additionally, she finished in 3rd place in the 2A West and as the leader of the Catawba Valley 2A Conference; the next closest athlete in the conference was East Burke’s Ashley Hernandez with 26 goals followed by Newton-Conover’s Vanessa Villa with 20.
Given her success, she was awarded her first-ever accolades with the program. She was an All-CVAC selection and named as the CVAC Offensive Player of the Year, along with being added to the North Carolina Soccer Coaches Association (NCSCA) All-Region 10 team.
Furthermore, Vatrano became the first soccer athlete in Bandys history, male or female, to be named a member of the NCSCA 2A All-State team. She was also awarded the Bandys High School Female Athlete of the Year, which was the first time a soccer player was given the honor. She will also be added into the Bandys High Sports Hall of Fame.
“The individual accomplishment[s] feels great, but making it to the 3rd round felt better,” she said. “I didn’t know what position I would play and I wasn’t expecting to break any records before the season started, but Coach Ric [Lester] liked me at Striker and my teammates put me in great positions to score. I’m pretty proud of also having over 20 assists though, so I think I tried to get the ball to others a lot but in the end a striker has to shoot.
“It’s funny because I played a lot of Midfield for my ECNL team. Our forwards are both going to Florida State next season and the following, so my role moved more to playing Center Mid and Winger than when I was younger and playing mainly at Striker. That also played a large role in my ability to shoot from outside the box.”
Vatrano said she’s happy for her individual recognition over the years, but more significant to her is the success of the team.
“Don’t get me wrong, I worked really hard to get where I am, and I am super proud of that, but one person cannot earn an individual award in soccer without the help of others, both on and off the field,” she said. “Not only did I sacrifice a lot going back and forth to Pineville every night and out of town games every weekend, but so did my family.”
When it came to her recruitment and official commitment, Vatrano decided to go with Western Carolina University months prior to the 2024 season in November of 2023.
“The recruiting journey for soccer is crazy and different for everyone. My club team had every player commit to a D1 school so colleges were always watching us, even at training sometimes,” she said. “Early on, I thought that I wanted a big national school and didn’t care about how far it was, but after I changed my major to Elementary Education I also decided that I wanted to be closer to home. When WCU started talking to me I quickly found a lot to like about the school and the team.
“Coach Chad [Miller] has created a great culture there, which is very important to me and I felt that I wanted to be a part of that family so I committed and signed early so I could focus on the busy senior year I had coming up. It also didn’t hurt that they were in the middle of a run at Conference Champions and the NCAA tournament during my recruiting.”
Before she is set to join the Catamounts, Vatrano has one final prep soccer match-up coming on June 15. She will be representing Bandys High School on Team North Carolina in the 17th Annual Clash of the Carolinas as it competes against Team South Carolina. It will be held at the OrthoCarolina Sportsplex in Charlotte.
South Carolina won the match in 2023, 3-1, which snapped a 6-match losing streak in the event against North Carolina, dating back to 2016.
This moment comes as a sort of a full-circle moment as she has represented North Carolina on the youth soccer stage, although she does not really see it that way:
“I guess in 2019 we first had to be the best team in the state and then the region to make the final 4 in Kansas City,” said Vatrano. “Since that time, most of our games were out of state and showcases were even across the country, so I know it sounds weird but, for the Clash of the Carolinas, I’m not really focused on NC vs SC. I’m honored to have been chosen and I know several of the other girls on the squad, but I feel more so that I’m representing my high school, and we happen to be playing against a different state.”
Following her adventure at the Clash of the Carolinas, Vatrano is excited to get started with Western Carolina. Even though she’s unsure what position she’ll play, she’s ready for the challenge.
“I’m honestly not sure how they will use me when I arrive,” she said. “At first, we discussed my playing high as a midfielder, but later on we also talked about me being able to help as a winger since I’ve been successful getting to the box diagonally with speed or to the end lines to get the ball across the box. I feel that one of my greatest strengths on the field has always been my speed on the ball and I think they noticed that right away.”
