Three new inductees to the North Carolina Soccer Hall of Fame’s Class of 2019 inductees have been selected. They are Durham Academy soccer coach Susan Ellis, Duke University men’s head soccer coach John Kerr, Jr. , and noted soccer referee Sandra Serafini of Durham.
The 22nd Annual North Carolina Soccer Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony & Dinner will take place on Saturday, January 26, 2019, beginning at 6:15 p.m. at the Marriott Winston-Salem Hotel.
In addition, the Duke University Men’s Soccer Program and the 1996 Greensboro United Soccer Association Navy Capture Girls soccer team will be inducted into the North Carolina Soccer Hall of Fame’s National Champions Hall of Honor.
Ellis was a freshman member of UNC Chapel Hill’s first intercollegiate women’s soccer team to win a national championship. They won the 1981 AIAW title with a 1-0 win over Central Florida played in UNC’s Kenan Stadium. With the formation of the NCAA National Championship in her sophomore year, she led the Tar Heels to three consecutive national championships, team captain of the Tar Heels in her senior season.
She was selected to the U.S. Women’s National Team in 1984, and later coached with the professional Raleigh Wings and Carolina Courage. She currently coaches the girls soccer team at Durham Academy, where she has been named NCSCA state Coach of the Year.
Kerr was a two-time All-America at Duke, the 1986 Hermann Award winner and captain of the Blue Devils’ NCAA D1 national championship team. He earned 16 caps as a midfielder with the U.S. National Team.
Kerr has been the Duke men’s head coach since 2008 after replacing Hall of Famer John Rennie, who is also a member of the NCSHOF.
Serafini became certified as a United States Soccer Federation (USSF) referee in 1998 and as a National Intercollegiate referee in 1999. She was the first from North Carolina to serve on the FIFA Panel of Women Referees from 2006 – 2009.
Originally from Hamilton, Ontario, she became certified in Washington State and moved to North Carolina in 2000, where she advanced through the referee ranks and represented North Carolina within the region and nationally at various tournaments and events.
She has officiated multiple college conference finals, NCAA Final Fours, men’s and women’s domestic professional leagues, and international events in North America, Europe, and Asia.
The Duke University Men’s Soccer Program began in 1930 and competed in the 1982, 1986 and 1995 national championship games. Duke defeated the University of Akron 1-0 to win the 1986 NCAA Division 1 national championship title under coach Rennie.
The 1996 Greensboro United Soccer Association Navy Capture Girls Soccer Team won the United States Youth Soccer Association Presidents Cup Under-15 Girls national championship in 2012.
The induction of this three will bring the number of NCSHOF inductees to 65, starting with the Class of 1997. Selection was made by vote of living members of the NCSHOF and members of the Hall of Fame Committee