Wando senior Natalie Gullo has loved the sport of soccer since childhood in part because her father was always her biggest inspiration.
“Growing up, my dad always had it on TV, and I think he played soccer when he was younger, so watching him, I was always like, ‘oh, my dad’s super cool. I want to be just like him,’” Natalie said.
Natalie prides herself on being an efficient passer, but strongly backs her scoring ability as the best thing she does on the soccer field.
“I love scoring goals, and that’s probably when I make the most impact on the team,” Natalie said.
Natalie has become increasingly motivated by her younger sister, Sophomore Alex Gullo, as Natalie seeks to find her stride at the collegiate level next year.
“I think watching her push me to realize, like, ‘hey, I can be even better than I think I am,’ and it pushes me to be like, ‘if Alex can do it, then I can push myself,’” Natalie said.
Natalie has found that the biggest lesson that she has acquired is to trust in her coach.
“Your coach knows more than you think, and she has told me advice so many times that I’ve been like, ‘that’s terrible. Why would I listen to that?’ But then I’ve gotten into the game and been like, ‘oh, that’s what I needed,’” Natalie said.
In a recent commitment, Natalie announced that she will be heading to Greenville, S.C. next year to play collegiate soccer at Furman University. With her commitment official, she expressed praise for the atmosphere and benefits of growing as a student athlete.
“I loved the coach, I loved the school and I loved that I’d be able to probably get the best for both worlds. I loved the girls when I met them. The environment was super fun, and I think I’ll be able to really thrive and get better there,” Natalie said.
Natalie’s teammate, Wando senior Marlie Nagle, is also committed to Furman, making for a memorable journey together for the two in soccer.
“I love Marlie. I think she’s so sweet, and she’s so good. I mean, she’s just like Alex, she’s always running, always sprinting. And she pushes me to be my best. We work really well together, and I’m just really excited,” Natalie said.
As Natalie leaves her younger sister, she provides her with advice to take with her in the future.
“You can do more than you think, and keep pushing yourself, because it’s always right,” Natalie said.
Alex has learned a lot from watching and playing with her sister at Wando.
“I think I’ve just learned a lot from how she acts,” Alex said.
As family members, it is no surprise that Alex has the utmost love and confidence in Natalie to succeed in college.
“I know her well enough that she’s gonna’ have no problem at college.. She’s pretty tough and she’s very resilient, so … I think she’s gonna do amazing in college,” Alex said.
Wando girls soccer head coach Shannon Champ has coached Natalie since she was in eighth grade, and has seen a change in her approach to the game, both personally and in her performance.
“It has been nice to see her, over the years, continue to grow as a soccer player, but also in her personality, because she has gone from a quiet teammate … to someone that is very social, engaged and assertive, and so the growth in the maturity to evolve into this vocal leader has been great,” Champ said.
Champ gives some strong advice to her players, Natalie and Marlie, as they head of
f to play collegiate soccer alongside one another.
“Just go in and earn your spot, get comfortable with the style of play, the style of coachin
g [and] the system of play. Find your niche, so to speak, find your people, that will challenge you. Be approachable, and be willing to do new things, and to continue to grow as a player. I hope they keep their growth mindset,” Champ said.
