By Marissa Goncalves

Vittoria Gasparri, girls’ soccer captain, has made the sport not just a pastime, but a pillar of who she is: “stern and firm while on the field, open and welcoming off of it,” something commented on Woodland’s Morning Mayhem.

Gasparri initiated her Woodland soccer career at the beginning of freshman year, but has been in love with the sport for much longer. Having a deep passion for the sport that pushed her over the years, she began this journey when she was very young. In Gasparri’s eyes, the foundation of her love for soccer is the significant friendships that have been built and strengthened.

“I love the team aspect of it. It’s great being able to hang out with my friends and be part of the team bonding it brings, even outside of soccer.”

Soccer offers many lessons that have guided her through her journey. To Gasparri, the most notable is the virtue of patience.

“I’ve definitely learned patience. I know it’s easy to get frustrated while on the field, and off the field as a captain or a player,” emphasized Gasparri. “You need it to keep everyone calm and have a peaceful environment.”

The most notable places of her lessons affecting her was the early introduction to varsity in her sophomore year and her abundance of playing time. Within the Woodland Hawks, Gasparri also got to strut her skills in the Naugatuck Valley League, where in her freshman and junior years, she annihilated the competition. Currently, her positions include the primary position of forward with a secondary position of attacking midfielder.

Gasparri’s soccer victories are moments in her life that have paved the way to where she currently stands, and she is certain that her soccer career will continue to do so until she graduates from the sport and makes her way to the next chapter. In the 2025 season, she pushes herself and her team to go all out, not only conquering NVLs but making it even further and taking the throne for states. In the long run, however, Gasparri plans on taking soccer farther, pushing herself to take part in the sport in college, where she plans on making her goals much larger.

Gasparri formed the standard for what makes a soccer player not just great, but extraordinary, taking the mold and shaping it for future players who will strive to live up to it. Soccer did so much for Gasparri, much like she did for the sport in the eyes of Woodland and the people around her.

“I really believe everyone should participate in some type of club or sport when entering high school,” Gasparri affirms. “Soccer is a great sport. It gets you connected to other people. It did that for me.”