Talia Gabarra
Talia Lily Gabarra is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Elitettan club Bollstanäs SK. She played college soccer for the UCF Knights before being selected in the fourth round of the 2024 NWSL Draft by the Orlando Pride.
Early life
Gabarra was born and raised in Annapolis, Maryland. She played club soccer for Maryland United FC and Bethesda SC before spending two years with the Washington Spirit's academy team. She attended Broadneck High School, where she played both varsity soccer and lacrosse. With the soccer team, Gabarra was once named All-State, twice All-Metro, and three times as team MVP. She also won one state championship with Broadneck in 2019. Gabarra's high school career ended on a negative note, as she missed her final year of soccer after sustaining a herniated disk and knee injury.College career
After spending 13 months in recovery, Gabarra took to the field with the UCF Knights for the first time on September 15, 2019. She made an immediate impact, recording her first college goal and assist in the 5–0 victory over Stetson. She played three games more in her freshman year to make a total of 4. Gabarra's sophomore season was pushed to the spring of 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic; once it rolled around, she made 1 start in 6 appearances.In the fall of 2021, Gabarra played in all 16 of UCF's games, setting a career-high for herself. She seemed slated to have another promising campaign in 2022, but a serious injury in preseason sidelined her for the entirety of the year. Instead, she watched on as UCF made it to the second round of the 2022 [NCAA Division I women's soccer tournament|NCAA tournament] for the first time since 2014. In her fifth year of college, Gabarra made 11 consecutive starts to begin the season. She played in both of the Knights' 2023 [Big 12 Conference women's soccer tournament|Big 12 tournament] matches as UCF were defeated in the semifinals by BYU.
Club career
The Orlando Pride selected Gabarra as the last pick of the 2024 NWSL Draft. With the NWSL Draft being abolished after 2024, she became the final draft pick in National [Women's Soccer League] history. Gabarra reported to the Pride's preseason training camp but did not make Orlando's final roster. She spent most of 2024 searching for a roster spot on another NWSL squad, but her efforts were ultimately fruitless.On March 29, 2025, Gabarra signed her first professional contract with Swedish team Linköping FC. With Linköping in the thick of financial turmoil, the club's sports manager Mia Eriksson elected to forgo her own salary in order to accommodate for Gabarra's wages. Shortly thereafter, Gabarra moved down to the Elitettan, signing for second-tier side Bollstanäs SK. She made 15 appearances for Bollstanäs in her first season with the club.