By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
June 3, 2026-The Boys-Under-12 State Cup Championship match on Saturday, May 30 at the Blue Sky Sports Complex in Middletown was an intriguing game between two teams from the Cosmopolitan Junior Soccer League (CJSL) in New York City. Start spreading the news that B/W Gottschee Academy are state champs as they defeated Juventus Academy Buffon, 3-1, to receive the Luis Montoya Cup.
The cup’s namesake, Luis Montoya, founded the Big Apple Youth Soccer League in 1997 to serve the growing number of soccer families who recently arrived in New York City. He had two tours of duty as Trustee of the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) serving two Presidents, Barry Salter and Richard Christiano, before his passing five years ago.
George Andreou, Andres Felipe and Aiden Pesatez scored the B/W Gottschee goals.
“We are a good team and we won the state championship by playing the ball to space today,” said B/W Gottschee coach Nick Karkut.
Juventus received the Rocco Amoroso Sportsmanship Award as determined by the game officials. Amoroso, a US Soccer Life Member who died a decade ago, started the Long Island Junior Soccer League (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.
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, east of Route 81. ENYYSA encourages 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 US Soccer and US Youth Soccer. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/