Carlos H. Gil
Men's Soccer (1982-1984)
1983 NJCAA Men’s Soccer All-American
Region IV and Skyway Conference Player of the Year in 1983
Two-time All-Skyway and All-Region on nationally-ranked teams
Full scholarship to University of Wisconsin-Parkside
Teams often reflect their leaders, and that surely was the case with Waubonsee’s Men’s Soccer teams in the early 1980’s. The Chiefs’ success in turn mirrored the personal accomplishments of Carlos Gil. Displaying talent and determination, Gil helped lead the Chiefs to national prominence.
Gil was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina and moved to the United States with his family at a young age. He had never played soccer until entering Aurora West High School. However, by 1982 the forward had helped write the Blackhawks’ record book. Gil netted the first goal in school history, had a 20-goal season, and was named the MLS-Chicago Sting Prep Player of the Week four times.
Gil then brought his talents to Waubonsee, earning All-Skyway Conference and All-Region IV First Team honors as a freshman. Gil recorded 23 goals and 21 assists to help Waubonsee break into the NJCAA national rankings and compile a 22-4-1 overall record. The top-seed in Region IV, the Chiefs lost the championship match 1-0 to Lewis & Clark, which went on to finish second in the nation that year.
As a sophomore in 1983, Gil took his game to another level by scoring 43 goals to go along with 15 assists. He was named an NJCAA Second Team All-American, and was tabbed the Skyway and Region IV Player of the Year. He scored six goals in a match at the Mankato (MN) Tournament that season, to tie the NJCAA single-game record at the time. Gil also served as team captain for a Chiefs’ team that was ranked fourth nationally in the final regular season poll. However, Waubonsee lost to Triton College in the region championship to end the season 19-2-1, arguably the best soccer season in Chiefs’ history.
While continuing his studies the next season, Gil took over as head coach, guiding Waubonsee to the Region IV finals for the third consecutive year. “I enjoyed playing for Coach Jose Moreno, and with Mike Robertson and Saul Sanchez. Without those two, I wouldn’t have done what I did,” proclaims Gil. “And administrator Nancy Hopp tremendously helped me and the soccer program in so many ways.” Gil then transferred to the University of Wisconsin-Parkside on a full soccer scholarship. More recently, he has worked for AIM Engineering and Surveying in Florida the last eight years as a Computer-Aided-Design drawer. He resides in Fort Myers Beach with his wife Michelle.