It wasn’t a matter of if, but when, Alberto Starace — a highly accomplished girls high-school soccer coach — eventually would be inducted into the Arlington Sports Hall of Fame.
That time has come, with induction ceremonies slated for Wednesday, Oct. 8 at the Knights of Columbus main hall.
At that evening’s annual dinner, the longtime head coach of the private-school Bishop O’Connell Knights soccer squad will be inducted along with one of his former standout players, Gabriella “Kiki” Toulouse.
“It should be a fun evening. I’m not sure what I’m going to say yet, that night,” Starace recently said.
Starace has been O’Connell’s coach for 40 seasons, including the current 2025 campaign, with his Knights enjoying an early 2-0 start. He has 542 wins with the Knights.
Starace’s teams have played in 24 Washington Catholic Athletic Conference tournament finals, with 10 championships and multiple runner-ups.
One of his teams was chosen as the national champion one fall and Starace has been chosen as National Coach of the Year. He has been chosen State Coach of the Year 10 times.
In addition, Starace’s squads have won three Northern Virginia state championships, including last season.
Starace also won 129 games as the head coach at public Madison High School in Vienna years ago, giving him 671 career victories as a high-school coach. Madison played during the spring season, while O’Connell competes in the fall. Starace coached both for a number of seasons.
Starace also has been a successful longtime travel soccer coach, with dozens of victories on that level. His teams have won more than 1,000 games combining high-school and travel ball.
Overall, Starace has coached dozens of players who have played at high levels following O’Connell, including in Division I college and the professional ranks.
One of those players was Toulouse, a 2007 O’Connell graduate, who was a four-year standout for the soccer team.
After O’Connell, Toulouse was a four-year player at the University of Virginia, playing in 86 games from 2007-10. She took 46 career shots and scored three goals with three assists.
Toulouse also was a member of the Under-23 U.S. Women’s National Team in 2011-12, and played professionally from 2011-14, including being selected by the Washington Spirit in the inaugural National Women’s Soccer League draft.
Toulouse received all-conference and all-state awards at O’Connell.
As the lone 2025 inductees, Starace and Toulouse will bring the number of Arlington Sports Hall of Fame inductees to 74 since its founding in 1958.
More information about the Oct. 8 Hall of Fame event can be found online or by contacting president Peter Weilenmann by email.
NOTE: Also later this school year, Starace will be inducted into the Bishop O’Connell Sports Hall of Fame.
