Sport: Soccer
Born: August 7, 1999
Town: Sergeantsville, New Jersey
Gabriella Alyssa Provenzano was born August 7, 1999 in the Hunterdon County town of Sergeantsville, NJ. A standout in youth soccer from the age of 8, Gabby began competing in the newly formed Elite Clubs National League in 2009 for the Players Development Academy club in Somerset. One of her coaches, Mike O’Neill, would become women’s coach at Rutgers. Her two-way attacking and defending skills made her an ideal midfielder, with double-teams creating all kinds of passing opportunities for her. At Hunterdon Central High, Gabby was the star of the Red Devils varsity, which won the state title in 2016.
Gabby accepted a soccer scholarship to Rutgers, joining a talented squad that starred Amirah Ali. The Scarlet Knights made the NCAA Tournament from 2017 to 2019 and again in 2021 (the tournament was cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic). Gabby played primarily as a center midfielder and was nicknamed “The General” by Coach O’Neill.
Gabby captained the 2021 team, which did not lose a game to Big Ten opponents during the season, capturing its first conference title. She was also named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. She was also a semifinalist for the Hermann Trophy. In all, Gabby played in a school-record 103 matches for Rutgers. Her last collegiate game was a 1–0 semifinal loss to Florida State in the NCAA Tournament.
Heading into 2022, Gabby was selected with the 22nd pick in the National Women’s Soccer League draft by the Portland Thorns FC. She joined an already-successful team that had a powerful offense and stingy defense. The Thorns went 10–3 with 9 draws and outscored their opponents by 25 goals to finish in second place—one point off the lead to nail down a bye to the semifinals in the playoffs. Gabby started one game and subbed in three others. Portland edged San Diego 2–1 on a goal in extra time and then blanked Kansas City 2–0 to win the NWSL championship.
The team exercised its 2023 option on Gabby and she spent her second pro season as a sub for the Thorns.