DONNA — As Donna North prepared for its move from District 31-6A to 32-6A this school season, most girls soccer players in that district knew of the Chiefs’ Gaby Aviles.
But, they really didn’t know her. Now they do.
Such will be the case next year, as well, as Aviles signed her national letter of intent Thursday to continue her athletic and academic careers at Hardin Simmons, an NCAA Division III college in Abilene, Texas, that competes in the American Southwest Division.
In front of a crowd that included high school, club and travel teammates — and several teammates from Macedonian Christian School, where she played in fifth and sixth grade — coaches, administrators family and friends, Donna North’s all-time leading scorer and the Valley’s third all-time goal scorer with 176 career goals expressed her thanks to those who helped her realize her dream.
“I have been playing soccer since I was 8 years old, and now all I can think about is how many sleepovers my dad didn’t let me go to because I had practice or a game and I just wanted to say thank you,” Aviles said. “Because you taught me that once I committed to something, I had to see it through.”
Coaches and administrators said people in the soccer community in the Valley would say things like, “Wait until you see Gaby,” even before she entered Donna North as a freshman. Girls head coach Tony Garcia said he let her try out on a summer team before her freshman year, “And it only took a couple minutes of watching her play for me to see what she could do and I said OK. She’s something else.”
Aviles scored 49 goals as a junior and 49 goals this past year as the Chiefs finished second in a loaded District 32-6A, later reaching the third round of the playoffs. She also missed four games this year with an injury and even played goalkeeper one game against district rival Los Fresnos. She said that she would rather play middle, or just about anywhere other than goalkeeper, a position she played as a youth soccer players at times, but she would do whatever it took to help the team.
Garcia talked about some of his memories coaching Aviles, including scoring a goal against district foe Harlingen South from 59.5 yards out on a free kick.
“She kicked it and it just flew magnificently,” he said. “It bounced once, up and over the goalkeeper’s outstretched hands and into the back of the net. Many of the boys can’t kick it that far. She has been an amazing player, student and wonderful person on the team and for the school.”
Nancy Espino, a longtime teammate and friend, made one of the best 1-2 punches in all of South Texas on the field. Even so, Espino admitted that sometimes it was hard not to just fall into what’s known as the Jordan Effect among his own players. They would find themselves not playing, but instead watching the amazing moves, plays and shots Jordan would create, seemingly on his own.
“I’m so proud of her. I’ve been with her during her accomplishments and have been so lucky to be a part of them. She inspires me a lot,” said Espino, who also was a teammate of Aviles on the McAllen Sharks and RGV Elite club team. “A lot of times, me as a midfielder, we play together very well. Sometimes I didn’t even have to run to go support her because I knew she had it all by herself, which is bad but I have so must trust in her and know what she’s capable of. She never misses in my eyes.”
Aviles said she plans to study political science at Hardin-Simmons.