By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
June 11, 2019-Black Watch Premier Gold 2001 defeated the Lynbrook/East Rockaway Screaming Eagles, 6-2, in the Girls-Under-18 State Open Cup championship game on June 2 at Stringham Park in LaGrange so the new champs brought the Richard Christiano Cup home to Albany.
Christiano, the cup’s namesake, brought fiscal responsibility to the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) as President for the past decade, was a youth coach for the New Hyde Park Wildcats and served on the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL) Board of Directors for 14 years, greatly improving the LIJSL Select Program during this time.
Isa Provost scored a three-goal hat trick, Shannon Cepiel scored two goals and Kennedy Jones added one to pace Black Watch Premier.
“I thought we were the more technically-sound team and we took advantage of our opportunities,” stated Black Watch Premier coach Garrett Cobb.
Lynbrook/East Rockaway are no strangers to Stringham Park as this was their third consecutive final, winning in 2017. After this year’s final, they received the Rocco Amoroso Sportsmanship Award as determined by the game officials. The namesake of the award, who died in 2016, was inducted into the Halls of Fame of the LIJSL and Eastern New York plus was also honored as a Life Member by U.S. Soccer like Collins.
Black Watch Premier will represent Eastern New York at the Regionals from June 28 to July 4 in Charleston, West Virginia as part of the National Championship Series.
USA teammates Crystal Dunn and Allie Long plus Jamaica goalkeeper Nicole McClure, competing in the Women's World Cup, all played on youth teams that won Eastern New York’s State Open Cup when they were kids.
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.