Tanner Falato began his first year with the Penn men's soccer program in 2015, joining the Quakers from Berlin, N.J. and Berlin Community School.
Starting as a second-grader, Falato has been named first-team All-Berlin Community School in recess and gym in recent years, while excelling in the classroom at computers, arts, and reading.
“Tanner is exactly what we were looking for to round out our roster for 2015 and beyond,” said head coach Rudy Fuller. “He possesses every intangible a coach could ask for – grit, perseverance, and an ability to rally from unexpected circumstances. We could not be more excited to follow Tanner’s leadership this season and going forward as a group.”
Tanner was first brought to Penn Soccer’s attention through the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation which strives to improve the quality of life for children battling pediatric brain tumors and other childhood cancers and to raise awareness for those diseases.
Tanner was diagnosed with a Juvenile Pilocytic Astrocytoma in December of 2013, and quickly had surgery to remove the tumor. However, a part of the growth leans against the brain stem and was unable to be removed at that time. Recently, scans have shown that the portion which remained had begun to grow, and Tanner is undergoing chemotherapy with the hope that the tumor will either go dormant or start to shrink to a point where it can be removed.
Tanner is the son of Beth and Ralph Falato, and he's the big brother to Caleigh.
