Back Row, left to right: Matthew Mannina (Coach), Eli Rubio, Jack Salgado, Brandon Lopez, John Caso, Adrian Munoz, Elliot Burgueno, Ethan Kyle, Anthony Puleo, Brandon Cruz (Coach), Lou Puleo (Coach)
Front Row, left to right: Thomas Albertina, Logan Booth Alam, Aidan Velasquez, Dylan Lopez, James Schneider, Brandon Cruz, Jason Krol, Anthony Ruggiero
By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
July 10, 2023-The Stony Brook Wildlings won all six of their games at Regionals in late June in Loudoun County, Virginia, outscoring their opponents 15 to 1. In the Boys-Under-15 championship game on June 29, Stony Brook LGN shut out the Lower Merion Thunder of Eastern Pennsylvania, 2-0.
“Having won Regionals last year and that lasted the full seven days, we knew the toll that six consecutive games would take on the players. So in preparation, we trained extremely hard leading up to it, three hours each day, on turf, in the heat, hardly any days off,” commented Stony Brook LGN coach Matt Mannina. “We were therefore in great shape and able to outlast our opponents. Our team also plays a high possession-based style and winning games by letting the ball do the work, especially early on, contributed to preserving us up until the finals. Our defense gets a lot of credit here. They are tough, organized and passionate, and in six games they were able to hold some of the top strikers in the region to only one goal.”
The Wildlings get their unusual team name as several local coaches were fans of the HBO series, “Game of Thrones.” One suggested naming a newly-formed Boys-Under-7 team something from the show so Mannina suggested the unique name of Wildlings, a tribe in the series. The first year, many of the boys could not pronounce the name correctly and often said “Wild Wings” instead.
The Wildlings, along with rivals Brentwood Premier Man City and New York Hota, are representing the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) at the Nationals from July 17 to 23 in Orlando as part of the National Championship Series. After winning Regionals, the Wildlings rested and recovered and then started training for Nationals on July 6.
Coach Mannina added, “This team is determined to be state, regional and national champions this year, and we realize that now at the final stage is the time to ramp it up and increase the intensity at training. We were also at Nationals last year so we know what level of competition to expect now, as every team there is a Regional Champion or National League PRO winner, and I believe we will be better prepared mentally having seen the majority of these teams at Nationals last year, Regionals, National League PRO, Jefferson Cup, Bethesda, Potomac and other high level tournaments.”
With approximately 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 10 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/