The latest two inductees in the Arlington Sports Hall of Fame are the first from any high-school soccer team, girls or boys, in the local sports pantheon’s nearly 70-year history.
The Oct. 8 induction dinner, held at the Knights of Columbus on Little Falls Road, enshrined Alberto Starace and Gabriella “Kika” Toulouse as the latest honorees in a hall of fame that stretches back to the 1950s.
Starace is the current and longtime head coach of the Bishop O’Connell Knights girls high-school team. Toulouse was a standout soccer player at O’Connell, where she played under Starace.
“Being here tonight with all of these banners is a ‘wow’ factor,” Starace said. “It is really special to get inducted and even more special to be inducted the same night as Kika. At O’Connell, we have seen the teams come together at the highest level, with the players always giving their all.”
Starace has been O’Connell’s coach for 40 seasons, including the current 2025 campaign, with his Knights enjoying a strong start and top local rankings. He recently won his 550th game with the Knights.
Starace’s teams have played in 24 Washington Catholic Athletic Conference tournament finals, with 10 championships and multiple runner-up finishes. His squads have won three Northern Virginia independent-school state championships, including last season.
One of his teams was chosen as the national champion, and Starace has been selected as National Coach of the Year. He has been picked State Coach of the Year 10 times.
In addition to duties at O’Connell, Starace won 129 games as the head coach at public Madison High School in Vienna years ago, giving him 679 career victories as a high-school coach, as of last week. Madison played during the spring season, while O’Connell competes during the fall, permitting him to coach both.
Starace also has been a successful longtime travel-soccer coach, with scads of victories. His teams have won more than 1,000 games, combining high-school and travel ball.
Toulouse graduated from O’Connell in 2007, where she was a four-year soccer standout, receiving all-conference and all-state awards, helping the Knights win three WCAC championships and earn a No. 1 national ranking.
O’Connell’s overall record during her career was 81-5-1.
Toulouse played on youth club soccer teams that won multiple state-cup championships.
“Coach Starace helped me take my game to the next level,” Toulouse said at the ceremony. “The beauty of soccer made my life better.”
After O’Connell, Toulouse was a four-year soccer player at the University of Virginia, playing in 86 games. She took 46 career shots and scored three goals with three assists.
Following her college career, Toulouse was a member of the Under-23 U.S. Women’s National Team in 2011-12 and played professionally after selection by the Washington Spirit in the inaugural National Women’s Soccer League draft.
As the lone 2025 inductees, Starace and Toulouse bring the number of Arlington Sports Hall of Fame inductees to 74 since its founding in 1958.
Local sportscaster Dave Johnson and Hall of Fame president Peter Weilenmann were the masters of ceremonies for the 2025 event, in which Starace and Toulouse were the lone inductees.
Nominations for potential Arlington Sports Hall of Fame inductees for 2026 are due March 1. Information can be found on the Hall of Fame website under “Nominations.”
NOTE: Later this school year, Starace also will be inducted into the Bishop O’Connell Sports Hall of Fame.
