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Carin Gabarra is a proven winner. Not only was she a success as a forward on the UC-Santa Barbara soccer team and later in her career playing for the United States National Team, but Gabarra has also had the golden touch to lead others by example. Building from the Beginning The improvement continued in '95 with Navy boasting a record of 10-7-1. With a third-place regular-season finish that season, the Mids made their first Patriot League Tournament appearance, falling in the championship contest. The team's success didn't stop there. The '96 squad produced an 11-6-2 record, finished fourth in the league and was invited to appear in its first postseason tournament with a game against Monmouth in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Tournament. Gabarra guided the 1997 team to a 10-8 record and a third-place finish in the Patriot League, registering a 4-2 mark. Six Mids earned All-Patriot League recognition, including Defensive Player of the Year and Academic All-America honoree, Nicole Aunapu. The 1998 season fulfilled dreams of many, as Gabarra led the Mids to a school-record 17 wins, 14 shutouts, 52 goals and Navy's first regular-season Patriot League title. Navy also knocked off Colgate for the first time in its history and broke the Red Raiders' 16-game winning streak versus league foes. In addition, an unprecedented nine Mids earned all-league honors, including eight first-team members. Justine Fisher earned rookie-of-the-year accolades, while Aunapu was dubbed Defensive Player of the Year for the second-consecutive season. Aunapu was just the sixth player in league history to earn First-Team All-Patriot League recognition all four years and concluded her career as the program's first two-time First-Team Academic All-American. In 1999, Navy again made a run at the league crown, as the Mids shared the regular-season title with a 5-1 Patriot League mark. The Mids scored 51 goals on the season, nearly doubling their opponents' total of 26. In league action, Navy scored 17 goals, while holding its opponents to just two and without an assist in six games. While making a return trip to the Patriot League Tournament Championship contest, six Mids were dubbed all-league, including Fisher who became Navy's first player to be honored as the Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year.
The year 2000 brought Fisher her third all-league honor, as the Mids posted a 10-9-2 record and earned a bid to the Patriot League Tournament for the sixth-consecutive season. Meanwhile, two rookies showed a glimmer of greatness to come in the likes of Amelia Sheveland, who tied the school record for goals in a game with four, and Stacy Finley who started 17 games and played virtually every position. Just one win shy of the school record, the 2001 team found success as it claimed a share of the Patriot League Regular-Season title with a 16-5-1 overall mark and 6-1 league record. Fisher became Navy's all-time leading scorer, while Gabarra claimed her 100th-career victory all in one eventful day -- Oct. 28, 2001, against George Mason. Navy swept the all-league honors, as Finley earned the offensive player-of-the-year title, Kate Macfarlane was deemed the defensive player of the year and Xochitl Piedra was co-rookie of the year. Meanwhile, both Macfarlane and Fisher garnered Academic All-America recognition. The Mids posted the program's first undefeated regular season at 16-0-4, before American upset Navy in the Patriot League Tournament to leave the only blemish on the Mids' 2002 record. Navy was the only Div. I school that finished the 2002 season without a loss in regular-season play. Finley garnered her second-straight Patriot League Offensive Player-of-the-Year award after setting single-season school records with 45 points and 19 goals. Defensively, Kim Bonafede was among the top three in the nation throughout the year in goals-against average, setting the then Navy record at 0.36. Nadia Sheikh earned First-Team All-Patriot League recognition after assuming the school's all-time assist lead in the final game of her career. In 2003, Navy claimed its first Patriot League Tournament title and became the first Naval Academy women's team in any sport to earn a bid to play in the NCAA Tournament. En route to their 17-5-1 record, the Mids owned the nation's longest regular-season unbeaten streak (35 games) before dropping a one-goal decision to eventual national champion North Carolina. Over 6,500 fans witnessed the game, breaking the NCAA single-game attendance record. Stacy Finley was named First-Team All-Patriot League after becoming the Mids' all-time leader in career scoring, goals scored and shots taken. Classmate Amelia Sheveland garnered Patriot League Tournament MVP recognition, finishing her career as Navy's fourth-leading scorer all-time. The year 2004 was a year of rebuilding on the offensive side of the field. The Mids' two marquee players came into the year having undergone knee surgeries, and Molly Burd missed the entire season with a broken foot. Navy dropped its opening three games in Patriot League play, but responded by winning four straight. Defender Xochitl Piedra closed out her career by being named to the Patriot League First Team, just the third player in Academy history to be named all-league all four years. Meggie Curran and Stephanie Parker were named to the first team, while midfielder Sarah Hessinger and keeper Kim Bonafede garnered second-team recognition. Injuries again plagued the Mids in 2005, but for junior Meggie Curran, she finally was healthy and it showed on the playing field. A First-Team All-Patriot League selection, Curran paced the league with 32 points on nine goals and a school-record 14 assists. Junior midfielder Molly Burd and sophomore defender Lauren Griebel also garnered all-conference recognition, as both were named to the second team. The four members of the Class of `07 began and concluded their playing careers at the Naval Academy in the same fashion, by leading the Midshipmen to the NCAA Tournament. The 2006 campaign far-exceeded what the preseason prognosticators had envisioned for the Mids. By year's end, Navy had won a school-record 21 games, earned its sixth Patriot League regular-season crown, claimed its second Patriot League Tournament title, made its second NCAA Tournament appearance in the last four years and advanced to the NCAA Second Round for the first time in program history.
The 2007 squad overcame some early-season adversity to post a 14-5-4 record en route to claiming the program's second NCAA Tournament berth in as many years. The road to the program's third Patriot League Tournament title looked fairly grim in mid-September after the Mids dropped back-to-back games to regional powers William & Mary and James Madison before falling in their conference opener. Behind the leadership of senior forward Brigitte Fox and a stout defensive unit, however, the Mids peaked at just the right time. Navy closed out the year unbeaten in its final 10 matches (8-0-2), including six-consecutive wins, to earn its third NCAA nod in five years. A balanced attack and smothering defense propelled Navy to a 15-win season in 2008, which included an unbeaten league mark (5-0-2) and the program's seventh regular-season Patriot League title in 11 years. Although Navy's hopes of a third-straight NCAA berth were dashed with a double-overtime league championship loss, it's eight-member Class of 2009, concluded a memorable four-year run tied for the winningest class in school history (60-19-10). A standout at Palos Verdes High School, as well, she led the nation in scoring from 1980-83 by netting 226 goals and garnered high school All-America accolades four times. Coaching Roots
While coaching at Harvard, Gabarra continued competing on the international level where she led the U.S. to its first-ever World Championship title in 1991 by scoring six goals and was the recipient of the "Golden Ball," presented to the outstanding player of the championship. She garnered United States Soccer's Female Athlete-of-the-Year honors in 1992, after winning the award for the first time in 1987. She was also tagged the 1987 and '92 United States Olympic Committee Player of the Year. Though retired from professional soccer these days, Gabarra was named to the Stars of the Century Team in the summer of 1999. The roll call includes the best 11 players in the history of women's soccer in the United States -- Gabarra, Michelle Akers, Brandi Chastain, Joy Fawcett, Julie Foudy, Mia Hamm, April Heinrichs, Kristine Lilly, Tiffeny Milbrett, Carla Overbeck and Briana Scurry. Gabarra and her 1996 gold medal-winning teammates were inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 2003. In addition to her coaching duties at Navy, Gabarra is active with the Olympic Development Programs that scout prospective national team players and is a member of the U.S. Soccer Athlete Advisory Council. She serves on the Athlete Advisory Board Project 2012 and is a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee Athlete Advisory Council. Additionally, Gabarra is a member of the Maryland Physical Fitness Council. She is also an honorary member of Habitat for Humanity: Women Building a Legacy. The Legacy Continues The Gabarras Jim was a member of the U.S. National Team from 1986-1989, earning 14 caps, and played for the Olympic Team in `88. A former captain of the U.S. Indoor National Team, he competed in the '89, '92 and `96 Futsal World Championships. Jim has served as the head coach for the Washington Freedom since 2000, leading the franchise to a WUSA Championship in `03. The couple resides in Arnold with their son, Tyler (12), and daughters, Abigail (10) and Talia (8). Gabarra's Career Coaching Ledger |
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