RABER ASSISTANT COACH IN SOCCER HALL OF FAME INDUCTION GAME

By Amy L. Ashbridge - Staff Writer (Oneonta Daily Star)

MCLA women's soccer head coach Deb Raber served as an assistant coach during the National Soccer Hall of Fame game on induction weekend this past August.

ONEONTA, NY, Aug. 27, 2007 - Thousands of people stood under cloudy skies in Oneonta to pay homage to some of the greatest players in women's soccer on Sunday, August 27.

"I look out here and think, Wow! What a party,'" inductee Julie Foudy said at the beginning of her speech Sunday afternoon. "It's like a wedding, except we didn't have to pay for it or plan it."

Close to 5,000 people, a record, were at the induction, according to Soccer Hall spokesman Jack Huckel. Those people included busloads of people from around the Northeast.

Oneonta Mayor John Nader, Oneonta town Supervisor Duncan Davie and state Sen. James Seward, R-Milford, also attended the induction.

Sean Flynn, of Great Barrington, Mass., said he came to the induction with a busload of 55 people. Flynn coaches soccer in Massachusetts. He said he wanted his daughters to be inspired by Foudy and fellow inductee Mia Hamm.

Flynn described Foudy and Hamm as becoming the "two faces of American soccer for women."

His family and team needed to see the two speak, Flynn said after the ceremony.

Jim Evans, of Richmond, Mass., brought "two young, great soccer players" to the induction ceremony. Evans came with his daughter, 11-year-old Jennifer, and Jennifer's friend, 11-year-old Emily Martin.

"They wanted to come see Julie and see Mia Hamm," Evans said.

Susan Trussler, of Clarks Summit, Pa., brought her daughter, Emma Black, and Emma's friend, 13-year-old Delia Carr, of Dunmore, Pa.

Emma went to the Julie Foudy Sports Leadership Academy this summer, Trussler said after the ceremony.

The girls came "to see Mia Hamm and Julie Foudy," Delia said after the ceremony.

Emma and Delia said they saw Hall of Famer Carla Overbeck inside the museum. They were able to have a picture taken with Overbeck and got her autograph.

They were all going to the game after the induction. The girls said that was the part of the day they were looking forward to the most.

Delia, who was wearing a Washington Freedom shirt, said she liked the speeches that Foudy and Hamm gave.

"They talked about how they wanted to do it all for the fans," Delia said.

Harmony McGorman, 21, came to the induction with her soccer team from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in North Adams, Mass. McGorman said the team's coach, Deborah Raber, is an assistant coach for the Connecticut Reds.

"She got us here," McGorman said of her coach.

The team would be watching the game, McGorman said during the ceremony.

"It's awesome," McGorman said. "I'm proud to be a part of it."

McGorman, like many people watching the ceremony, was wearing a Hamm jersey.

"I'm a soccer fan in general," McGorman said. "I love soccer."

State police at Oneonta said there weren't any problems with the induction
crowds.