By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
August 23, 2013-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) is very pleased to announce that Emmalee Meyer is receiving the Patricia Louise Masotto and Brenda Driscoll Scholarship. The scholarship’s namesakes were best friends and top women’s soccer players from Massapequa. ENYYSA set up a scholarship in their name after they were killed by a drunk driver in Farmingdale, Long Island in 1985.
Emma played goalkeeper for the Massapequa Elite of the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL) from 2004 to 2012. She served as team captain and starred for the Elite when they won the State Open Cup in 2008. Emma played for ENYYSA’s Olympic Development Program from 2005 to 2010 and for Region 1 ODP in 2008.
She earned an amazing five varsity letters in soccer at Massapequa High School and was named the state’s Outstanding Goalkeeper while leading the Chiefs to the 2010 state championship. She also was honored as All-County in 2011 and 2012 while serving as team captain and received the 2012 Scholar/Athlete Award.
Emma volunteered as a TOPSoccer Buddy for the Special Children of the Massapequa Soccer Club and with SADD, Autism Speaks and peer tutoring. The National Honor Society member maintained an average in the high nineties.
She wrote in her essay, "Being the goalkeeper, I am the first to line up to shake hands with the other team. After doing so, win or lose, I continue to shake hands with the referee and encourage my team to do the same. By showing our respect to not only the other team but also to the referees, we display character and integrity and we even set an example for the other team."
Emma’s major is Engineering and she will be preventing Villanova University’s opponents from scoring during the next four years.
With 123,843 youth soccer players––68,587 boys and 55,256 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 12 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 Special Children. 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 on to http://www.enysoccer.com/, which receives nearly 300,000 hits annually from the growing soccer community.