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Raia James broke her left leg while playing in an ID camp at UAlbany in October 2018. The injury required surgery, but a complication with the original operation led to three more procedures. After the fourth surgery, she was thinking of leaving soccer for good.

“There were days when I really felt like it was over for me and this wasn’t my path anymore,” James said. “But my aspirations were so strong. I was just trusting in god that I would have the opportunity to get back.”

Eventually, James did get back.

She frequently attended physical therapy sessions and returned to being a dual-sport athlete, running track and playing soccer. She built up a stellar athletic resume at Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School (N.Y.), notching 17 goals and 18 assists over her junior and senior seasons. Now a senior at Syracuse, she hasn’t seen much playing time but managed to notch her first-career goal for the Orange against Wake Forest on Oct. 5.

Before playing varsity soccer for Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, James excelled at the junior varsity level. She tallied 15 goals and 15 assists, leading her team to the Section II Class A championship game. However, the Spartans couldn’t prevail in the final. The next day, James suffered her career-threatening injury.

James broke both the fibula and tibula bones in her left leg. Following the original rod insertion surgery, she had insufficient blood flow and had close to no feeling in her injured leg. James described it as feeling paralyzed and there was concern she might lose her leg.

Her mother, Faith, said she underwent three more emergency surgeries. But, doctors could “give no answers as to what her recovery would be after that point,” she said.

“I was shocked along with our entire family,” Faith said. “Raia was confused and extremely discouraged at not knowing what would happen.”

Thoughts of quitting soccer flooded James’ mind. She questioned whether she was ever going to play sports again. Faith remembered one of the surgeons that operated on James said he didn’t see her playing sports again until years later.

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But, James committed herself to a seemingly impossible task. Feeling returned to James’ left leg and she made a full recovery after nine months, far faster than what her doctors and therapists expected. By the fall of her senior year, James returned to the pitch.

In her first season on varsity, James contributed two goals and three assists. She also earned a bronze medal in the women’s 55-meter dash at the Section II Division II Championships.

“The impossible of the unknown was scary but she kept on fighting mentally and physically to recover,” Faith said.

Upon arriving at Syracuse, James didn’t receive many opportunities during her first three years. Yet, she never complained, maintaining a diligent work ethic at every training session.

“Raia is one of those kids that shows up every single day,” SU head coach Nicky Thrasher Adams said. “She might not get the playing time, but she put away exactly what we’ve been working on in practice.”

When James scored her first collegiate goal, she had to stay patient. In Syracuse’s match against Wake Forest, James started on the sideline. Then, entering as a first-half substitute, she made an immediate impact.

Jostling for position near the edge of the 18-yard box, James latched onto Anna Rupert’s cross. She fired a first-time shot, successfully picking out the bottom right corner. James’ goal helped the Orange jump out to a 2-0 lead.

“I just never stopped working hard. I always give 100%,” James said.

Published on October 24, 2023 at 11:44 pm