By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
June 12, 2018-A red card in the 53rd minute proved pivotal in the Girls-Under-17 State Open Cup finals on June 3 at Stringham Park in LaGrange. In this battle between two Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL) teams, Brentwood Blaze had the player sent off but then rallied to defeat the Lynbrook/East Rockaway Screaming Eagles, 4-2.
“We woke up after the red card and scored four goals,” explained Brentwood coach Chris Roche.
Kristin Finery, Amy Lederer, Ashley Lindsay and Fiona Smyth tallied Brentwood's goals.
Brentwood received the Rocco Amoroso Sportsmanship Award as determined by the game officials. Amoroso, a US Soccer Life Member who died in 2016, started the LIJSL Sportsmanship Program in 1980 and it spread to Eastern New York, nationally and then to China and Ireland, and in the process, made soccer games kinder and gentler.
Brentwood will represent the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) at the Regionals from June 29 to July 3 in Spotsylvania, Virginia as part of the National Championship Series.
With over 100,000 youth soccer players––both boys and girls––and more than 25,000 volunteers, the non-profit Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border. Members are affiliated with 11 leagues throughout the association, which covers the entire state of New York east of Route 81. ENYYSA exists to promote and enhance the game of soccer for children and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 19 years old, and to encourage the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators. All levels of soccer are offered––from intramural, travel team and premier players as well as Children With Special Needs. No child who wants to play soccer is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of the United States Soccer Federation and United States Youth Soccer Association. For more information, please log onto http://www.enysoccer.com/, which receives nearly 300,000 hits annually from the growing soccer community.