By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
June 17, 2017-With rain on the way but no goals, two Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL) teams, the Lynbrook/East Rockaway Screaming Eagles and the Massapequa Hurricanes, finished their Girls-Under-16 State Open Cup final scoreless on June 4 at Stringham Park in LaGrange. So the game went to a shootout where Lynbrook/East Rockaway became state champs by scoring on four penalty kicks to Massapequa’s two tallies.
The cup’s namesake, Peter Masotto, is a Region 1 Hall of Famer and U.S. Soccer Life Member who volunteered as President of the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) from 1984 to 2006. The current resident of Babylon coached the Massapequa Falcons girls team to the 1988 national championship.
Sarah Diluzio, Kailey Hyland, Katie Koran and Megan Sullivan scored in the shootout for the new champs while their keeper, Natalie Peralta, had the shutout in goal through overtime.
“It was a great game to watch and an incredible game to coach,” explained Lynbrook/East Rockaway coach PJ O’Doherty. “Thanks to Eastern New York for hosting us. It’s a great organization and we are proud to be a part of it.”
Lynbrook/East Rockaway will represent Eastern New York at the Regionals from June 30 to July 4 in Spotsylvania, Virginia.
Lynbrook/East Rockaway also received the Rocco Amoroso Sportsmanship Award as determined by the game officials. The namesake of the award, who died last year, was inducted into the Halls of Fame of the LIJSL and Eastern New York plus was honored as a Life Member by U.S. Soccer. Amoroso started the LIJSL Sportsmanship Program in 1980, it has since been copied around the world and he spoke about the benefits of Fair Play across the United States.
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.