Pavan began her football career at Belluno, where she played alongside fellow promising youngster Carolina Morace. A tall goalkeeper with what the Dizionario del Calcio Italiano described as a "fisico da indossatrice" (), Pavan was an iconic member of the Trani team of the 1980s "golden era" of Italian women's football. She won three league titles and married the goalkeeper of Trani's men's team, but stopped playing during 1985–86 due to pregnancy.
