Keeper has Dragon's backs: Falco saves and team-first attitude lift Kubasaki

CAMP FOSTER, OKINAWA-It’s pretty rare to see a goalkeeper make three saves in a match-deciding penalty-kick shootout at the World Cup level, much less the high school level.

Yet Gabby Falco, Kubasaki’s junior keeper, did just that, halting three of four shots by Kadena in last Friday’s 1-0 victory by the Dragons over the Panthers in the Okinawa Activities Council season series finale. Kubasaki won the penalty-kick shootout 3-1 and Falco left those watching amazed.

"I was surprised she got it, but she’s a great goalie. Not hard to believe," said Kadena junior Ashley Zapp, who saw her shot at the far right corner deflected away at the last second by Falco’s left hand.

"She’s unbelievable," Kadena coach Hoa Nguyen said.

For her part, Falco said all she was thinking about was the team winning.

"I told them they only needed to score once and I’d handle the rest," she said.

Behind that philosophy and a team-first ethic, Falco has led the Dragons to a 12-1-1 record, second-best in the Pacific region behind 13-0 and defending Far East Class AA Tournament champion American School In Japan.

"The one thing going through my mind is do it for the team and not think about anything else," said Falco, in just her second season of soccer after running track in her freshman year.

That Falco was exhausted from the rigors of keeping Kadena off the scoreboard in regulation time, that she was getting cut up from all the diving, made no difference to her. "To see the team happy after the match was all that mattered," Falco said.

She’d moved from the track to soccer because "I’m more of a team-sport player," Falco said, adding that her volleyball and basketball teammates had a hand in "twisting my arm. They knew I’m a team player and always work hard to get better."

Coach Terry Chumley said she’d been seeking a goalkeeper and Falco possessed three important traits: athleticism, hand-eye coordination and quickness.

"It’s a good mix," Chumley said. "We thought she’d be good as a goalkeeper. I’m completely confident in her abilities and the team’s ability to score and help her out."

Those same skills translated to averaging a double-double, 24 points and 15 rebounds, for Kubasaki’s basketball team. She was also good for an average of nine spike kills and four block points during volleyball.

"She was pretty much the mainstay for us," basketball coach Robert Driggs said of what he termed the team’s "franchise player. We had a young squad. She was sort of the ‘go-to’ person as you try to build balance in the offense."

Some three-sport athletes tend to be good at one sport and use the others to stay in shape. "She’s a gifted three-sport athlete," volleyball coach Chris Kelly said.

"She plays all three at the highest level. That’s a rare feat for a high school athlete."

The work ethic that led to Friday’s three-save performance begins on the practice field, where she insists that her teammates not go easy on her during shooting drills.

"She told me she doesn’t want me to go easy on her," said freshman Sydnie Bligh, a hard-shooting sweeper who serves as Falco’s shooting partner. "No matter how hard it is, she won’t stop. She’s a great athlete and a great teammate."

That same work ethic is present in her schoolwork as well. Falco takes Advanced Placement courses in calculus, English and U.S. history, and her non-weighted grade-point average is 4.0.

That she lives in a single-parent home — her mother, Sally, is a Marine Corps captain who travels frequently — might seem to be a paradox. But Falco says that’s all the more reason to strive to do well.

In addition to keeping up her grades and staying sharp on the pitch, Falco does her share at home, everything from cooking to chores. "I just want to make it easy on her," Falco said of her mom. "There’s nothing I could do to repay her... ."

The feeling is quite mutual. "I’ve been blessed," Capt. Falco said. "She’s such a good kid."

But even with all that going for her, there’s one bit of unfinished business remaining on Falco’s and the Dragons’ ledger — avenging last year’s 1-0 loss to American School In Japan in the Far East Class AA Tournament title match.

In the 58th minute, ASIJ junior Ivie Myntti launched a high, arcing shot from the right sideline. Falco leaped for it, but it glanced off her fingers into the net at the far post.

"Sometimes, I still get that awful feeling, that I let my team down, that there was some way I could have gotten it," Falco said. "Everything is put before you for a reason, and it’s not going to happen this year."