By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
August 19, 2019-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) is very pleased to announce that Libby Cook is receiving a Patricia Louise Masotto and Brenda Driscoll Scholarship. The award is based on success in high school as well as community service. The scholarship’s namesakes were best friends and top women’s soccer players from Massapequa, Long Island and Eastern New York set up a scholarship in their name after they were killed by a drunk driver in 1985.
She wrote in her essay that “Soccer officially entered my life at age 4 when I played on a Fulton United recreational team. Here, friendships blossomed and continue to this day. Eventually, soccer became part of my everyday routine. My father became my soccer coach in 4th Grade and he has taught me more than anyone has in my life. We would spend hours together kicking a soccer ball with the correct foot stance, barefoot and recording moves and shots. Through these practices our bond grew. I thank soccer for this bond because without it my father and I would never be as close as we are today.”
Gloversville High School girls varsity coach Michael Hallenbeck, who also serves as the Fulton United Vice President, wrote “Libby usually takes on the challenge of helping with the Pre-K soccer group during camp which truly says something about her patience and kindness. She also has a great personality and is willing to go above and beyond for any task that is presented to her…One experience that comes to mind is when she was in 10th Grade and on the varsity team. We were struggling defensively that year, so I decided to move Libby to outside back from her midfield position. Instead of complaining about the change, she did the exact opposite. She was always asking questions and picking my brain in an effort to become the best possible defender she could be.”
Libby has been a National Honor Society student at Gloversville High School for the past three years, competed in Varsity Track & Field, Varisty Tennis, Varsity Cheerleading in addition to being the Varsity Soccer Team’s captain and was a First Team All-Star for the past two years in soccer. Plus she volunteers for local non-profit organizations and plays for Fulton United in the Capital District Youth Soccer League (CDYSL). She also received a CDYSL Scholarship.
We wish Libby all the best at Elmira College!
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 nine 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 on to http://www.enysoccer.com/, which receives nearly 300,000 hits annually from the growing soccer community.