Biography
By Jim Hague
At first glance, Jessica Gavilanes doesn’t look like much of a soccer player. After all, she stands only 4-foot-11. She’s not exactly going to instill fear in soccer opponents.
But the lack of height doesn’t deter the Rutgers-Newark women’s soccer defender.
“In fact, I kind of like it,” Gavilanes said. “I tell everyone that I like my height. I think it’s even better than being tall. The bigger girls don’t try as hard when they see me, so I think I intimidate them. I’m strong. I’m a strong little girl.
Added Gavilanes, “But I really like my height. I use it to my advantage. I have an advantage on the taller girls because I’m lower to the ground and I can get to the ball quicker than most. It’s really a lot easier.”
New R-N women’s soccer coach Wojtek Krakowiak had no qualms in throwing Gavilanes to the fire right away.
“From the first minute I saw Jess, I saw someone who wasn’t afraid to play against bigger and taller girls,” said Krakowiak, who was a standout soccer player in his collegiate days at Clemson University, winning the Herrmann Trophy as the nation’s premier soccer player. “She went out and proved right away that she could play. She’s a very smart player and she’s quick. She gets herself into great position. She’s not going to win any headers, but she gets to the ball fast and reads the game very well.
Added Krakowiak, “I had no hesitation at all about her height. When I saw her play and I saw what she could to, that was it for me. From Day One, I knew she was going to be a good player for us.”
In the early part of the season, Krakowiak had Gavilanes playing among the midfielders, but when he needed help in the defensive back line, the new coach didn’t waste a minute moving Gavilanes back to a defender slot.
“I could tell that she had the ability to mark any player,” Krakowiak said. “Maybe there were others who might not take her seriously because of her size, but that never bothered me. I would let her mark anyone and I knew she could do the job.”
Gavilanes, a native of Orange, N.J. who came to R-N after a fine career at Union Catholic High School, said that she didn’t know whether she would play a significant role immediately for the Scarlet Raiders.
“I thought I’d get a chance to play some, but not this much,” Gavilanes said. “I didn’t mind being a midfielder, but I felt the team needed me more as a defender. I played defense in high school, so I knew what I was doing. I wasn’t afraid of anything.”
Gavilanes acquired her fearless approach by playing with and against much older players, competing in an Under-23 (U-23) league in Newark for the famed Den of Lions Soccer Club.
“I’ve always been playing against bigger, taller and older players,” Gavilanes said. “I’m always the youngest.”
Not to mention, the shortest.
“Yeah, I’m always the shortest, too,” she said with a laugh. “I’m used to it all.”
Gavilanes has helped the Scarlet Raiders to an impressive 9-7-2 record in Krakowiak’s first season, a vast improvement over years past. She scored a goal and had an assist while starting and playing in all 18 games, but her biggest contribution was as a shut-down defender.
“She shut down all the top forwards in the league,” Krakowiak said. “She somehow knows where all the forwards are going to go.”
For example, Gavilanes kept New Jersey City University’s Jennifer Albuja, one of the nation’s top scorers and the New Jersey Athletic Conference Player of the Year, off the scoreboard in the R-N 2-0 win Sept. 27. It was one of the only games where Albuja was held scoreless all season.
“I took a lot of pride in that, because Jennifer and I play together for the Den of Lions and we’re good friends,” Gavilanes said. “It was fun playing against her and marking her. I was a little nervous before the game, but it worked out well.”
“I have the responsibility of marking the top scorer and I like that responsibility,” Gavilanes said.
But Krakowiak said that Gavilanes is also a threat offensively from her defender slot.
“She always likes to push the ball up and move it forward,” Krakowiak said. “Her ball control is excellent and she doesn’t lose the ball when she tries to push it forward. She’s smart and knows when to move it forward.”
“Coach (Krakowiak) sometimes gets angry when I do that, because I want to push it up,” Gavilanes said. “But I try to tell him that it’s only helping the team.”
Gavilanes said that she got a lot of help in the game of soccer from her older brother, Richard, who played at Boston College from 2003 through last year.
“My brother has always been a huge inspiration to me,” Gavilanes said. “He was my motivation to start playing soccer. He was about eight years old and I was like four when he signed up to play. He gave me the idea of what playing soccer was all about. He’s a big part of my success. He was a tremendous role model.”
While Gavilanes has not officially declared a major at R-N, she’s leaning toward sociology.
“I’m not exactly sure what I want to do with it,” Gavilanes said. “Maybe become a social worker or a teacher. I have some time to worry about that.”
Gavilanes is thrilled with what she was able to achieve as a freshman.
“I’m excited that I had a good year and have three more years to play with this team,” Gavilanes said. “We’re going to get some new players coming in and I think our team is going to be extremely good in the years to come. I feel like we can make history with this program. We had a good year. I’m proud of this year. I’m just happy to be out on the field.”
Krakowiak sings the praises of his diminutive defender.
“She’s a really nice kid,” Krakowiak said. “She listens to what we have to say and knows her role very well. She’s very committed to winning and motivates the other girls, even if she is only a freshman. She’s what we need to have a better team. I think we need that kind of commitment from everyone. She can be a leader and has been a leader.”
Gavilanes feels like she’s already made a statement in just one year with the R-N women’s soccer program.
“I guess I’m proof that anyone can do it,” Gavilanes said.
Even the little ones.
