When all sports were on hold and New York was under a strict quarantine, Bethlehem High star Claire Hutton was itching to play soccer. So her family built her a kick-back wall in her backyard.
She persisted to seek new opportunities — even if it meant being shooed off soccer fields by police while with friends she met during her early playing days on a boys’ soccer team.
“My friends live near the Saint Rose fields and we would play there," Hutton said. "The police would come and they would be like ‘you have to leave.’ We were just trying to get touches and work on our soccer skills. We finally ended up at the UAlbany fields and jumped in some pickup games there.
“It was actually kind of fun because we were just looking for places to play. It was part of the game, finding a place to play.”
Her quest continues. Bethlehem was one of two schools in the Suburban Council opting not to play soccer this fall.
So she found another outlet: helping out twice a week with young girls in the Alleycat program at Afrim’s Sports Park.
Bethlehem's Claire Hutton, #11, battles for the ball with Shenendehowa's Danielle Casey during a soccer game on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2019 in Clifton Park, N.Y. (Lori Van Buren/Times Union)
Lori Van Buren
“I have a strong love of the game,” Hutton said. “I’m just trying to spread my love of the game to them so they love it as much as me.”
The young players can learn a thing or two from Hutton. In 2019 she scored a school-record 37 goals to go along with 18 assists and was named the New York State Sportswriters’ Association Player of the Year. She became the first eighth-grader to be named the Suburban Council's Offensive Player of the Year and was the Times Union’s Athlete of the Year in girls’ large school soccer.
She admits she has been a little down, missing out on premier and national team play, including a trip to a National Soccer Training Center in Florida last March — the east region tryout for the national team. Not being able to defend her high school team’s Class AA title also stings.
Making the time to work with younger players has given her a lift.
“They are helping me use my voice and they are teaching me things, too," she said. "I like seeing how much they are enjoying playing the game and how excited they are when they get to practice. When I show up at practice they all run over to me. It feels really nice to work with them.”
Hutton is learning from the kids while also working with her mentor, longtime Alleycats coach and former U.S. National Soccer Team member Betsy Drambour.
“She has shaped me a lot as a player, and she’s inspired me, too," Hutton said. "She’s also taught me things to help me be a better person.”
Drambour is a soccer junkie who taps into her high school (she was an All-American at Shenendehowa in 1981 and 1982), college (at George Mason she was a two-time second-team All-American and helped the Patriots to a 1985 NCAA title) and national team experiences while pushing Hutton to the next levels.
“Betsy finds the little things I need to improve and work on which many people wouldn’t see, and that’s kind of what helps separate her from other people,” Hutton said. “We have that connection because we have that same kind of mind when it comes to soccer.”
The admiration goes both ways.
“You have to witness it to believe it," Drambour said. "No one understands how hard this kid works.”
Hutton joined the Alleycat program when she was 10 years old.
Drambour first told me about Hutton’s exceptional soccer abilities prior to her playing her first season at Bethlehem as a seventh grader. I knew Hutton must be the real deal — Drambour doesn’t give out high accolades unless they're earned.
The world of soccer is just beginning to expand for Hutton. Two years ago she played for her premier league team in San Diego, she said, calling it an amazing experience. She has traveled to Arizona for tournaments. She made the Olympic Development Program National Team, sharing the field with players from throughout the country.
She has met retired U.S. National Team superstar and Rochester’s own Abby Wambach. She roots for the NC Courage and Manchester City men’s team in the European Premier League. She’s a soccer junkie just like Drambour.
“I want to play for a college that has a chance to get to the Final Four and get to the national championship," Hutton said. "I’m looking for somewhere I can play a lot and be the best in the country."
By surrounding herself with Drambour and wide-eyed youngsters simply enjoying the game, she’s well on her way.
#womenworthwatching
- The Professional Women's Hockey Players Association announced that Secret Deodorant is making a $1 million commitment to fund the Dream Gap Tour for 2021.
- The Times Union’s Pete Dougherty reports UAlbany coach Colleen Mullen is hoping NCAA allows her to suit up all three of the team’s transfers from Division I schools this season. Good news came last week when Ellen Hahne, a 5-foot-11 junior who played two seasons at Wake Forest, has been declared eligible.
- This column is sponsored by Times Union Women@Work, the Capital Region’s network of business and professional women. Join today at: https://womenatworkny.com
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