By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
June 13, 2018-In a marathon soccer game played at the Peter Collins Soccer Park in Plainview on June 9, Lake Grove/Newfield Tsunami of the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL) topped the LaGrange Chazers of the East Hudson Youth Soccer League (EHYSL), 4-3, in overtime to win the Girls-Under-19 State Open Cup. This game was for the Barbara Rodriguez Cup, named for the Northport resident who volunteered as State Cup Chairperson for 23 years from 1992 to 2014.
Clare O’Connor, Carly Davis and Erin Peyton scored Lake Grove/Newfield’s goals during regulation. Caleigh Bennett started the celebrations by scoring the game-winner on a 20-yard shot at the end of the second overtime period.
LaGrange did not return home to Duchess County empty-handed as they received the Rocco Amoroso Sportsmanship Award, as determined by the game officials. Amoroso, a US Soccer Life Member who died in 2016, started the LIJSL Sportsmanship Program in 1980 and it spread to Eastern New York, nationally and then to China and Ireland, and in the process, made soccer games kinder and gentler.
Lake Grove/Newfield will represent the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) at the Regionals from June 29 to July 3 in Spotsylvania, Virginia as part of the National Championship Series.
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.