By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
June 18, 2017-Cedar Stars Orange County of the Eastern New York Premier League (ENYPL) defeated the Levittown Rage of the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL), 3-1, to capture the Boys-Under-17 State Open Cup title. This game for the Jose Vargas Cup was played under cloudy skies on Sunday, June 4 at Stringham Park in LaGrange.
Ikiel Collins-Brown scored two goals and Zemi Rodriguez added one for the new champions.
Vargas, a man of many hats, was an Eastern New York Hall of Famer who was an enthusiastic ref for decades and served as State Referee Administrator, State Youth Referee Administrator and State Director of Assessment, three of the top referee positions in Eastern New York. But his soccer expertise was not confined to refereeing as he volunteered as President of the East Hudson Youth Soccer League as well as President of the East Fishkill Soccer Club.
Cedar Stars will represent the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) at the Regionals from June 30 to July 4 in Spotsylvania, Virginia.
Levittown received the Rocco Amoroso Sportsmanship Award as determined by the game officials. Amoroso, a US Soccer Life Member who died last year, 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.
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.