Standing, left to right: Jeffry Valencia, Matthew Pappacena, Kelly Wynkoop, Mallory Duggan, Helen Saballos, Allison Hand, Kailee Crockett, Haley Cascone, Elizabeth Brierton, Nicholas Cestaro
Sitting, left to right: Kieran Hall, Justin Carfora, Jordan Finzel, Brian Bingham, Michael Polimeni, Matthew Cimini, David Glass, Bryan Kilmeade
Camera shy: Christine Beaudet, Hayk Matevosyan, Kaitlyn Meyers, Douglas Toledo
By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
July 22, 2014-With 1,500 travel teams in Suffolk, Nassau and Queens, the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL) is the largest league in the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA).
The LIJSL Scholarship Program began in the early 1980’s when one boy and one girl each received a scholarship and it has grown just as soccer continues to grow in the United States. Over three decades later, the LIJSL under the direction of Scholarship Committee Chairperson Lynn Scarpati awards college scholarships to its players based on academic and athletic merit as well as community service. This year was no exception as 22 LIJSL players received scholarships on July 20 at a ceremony at the Huntington Hilton in Melville. The newest award, the Pat Grecco Scholarship, is named after the previous Scholarship Chairperson and Hall of Famer of both the LIJSL and ENYYSA who moved to North Carolina during the past year.
Chairperson Scarpati stated, “When you read the bios of all 22 scholarship recipients, the common theme is perseverance pays off.”
Congratulations to all the LIJSL Scholarship recipients:
• Justin Carfora attending Holy Cross, Pat Grecco Scholarship
• Nicholas Cestaro attending Holy Cross, Vincent Gubin Memorial Scholarship
• Matthew Cimini attending the University of Michigan, Vincent Gubin Memorial Scholarship
• Hayk Matevosyan attending Fordham University, Vincent Gubin Memorial Scholarship
• Haley Cascone attending Hofstra University, Eurosport Scholarship
• Jeffry Valencia attending Onondaga Community College, Bobbi Marks Memorial Scholarship
• David Glass attending Guttman Community College, Bobbi Marks Memorial Scholarship
• Elizabeth Brierton attending SUNY Geneseo, Bobbi Marks Memorial Scholarship
• Bryan Kilmeade attending Syracuse University, Matthew Scarpati Memorial Scholarship
• Jordan Finzel attending Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Michael Scarpati Memorial Scholarship
• Kaitlyn Meyers attending Wingate University, Michael Scarpati Memorial Scholarship
• Helen Saballos attending Nassau Community College, Carolyn Page Memorial Scholarship
• Allison Hand attending Barnard College, Sandra Atlas Bass Scholarship
• Kieran Hall attending Molloy College, Frank Gorman Memorial Scholarship
• Brian Bingham attending Notre Dame, Peter C. Collins Presidential Scholarship
• Kailee Crockett attending Misericordia University, John Pinezich Memorial Scholarship
• Kelly Wynkoop attending the University of Delaware, Michael Secko Memorial Scholarship
• Douglas Toledo attending Stony Brook University, Jonathan Marc Serota Memorial Scholarship
• Michael Polimeni attending Nassau Community College, Modell’s Scholarship
• Christine Beaudet attending Penn State, Modell’s TOPSoccer Volunteer Scholarship
• Mallory Duggan attending Marist College, George Hoffman TOPSoccer Volunteer Scholarship
• Matthew Pappacena attending Northeastern University, George Hoffman TOPSoccer Volunteer Scholarship
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. Eastern New York 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. Eastern New York 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.