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Plattsburgh Arsenal Shut Out the Lake Grove/Newfield Rebels to Win the Boys-Under-17 Eastern New York Premier League Title

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By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

July 1, 2017-Youth soccer’s road warriors, the Plattsburgh Arsenal of the Capital District Youth Soccer League (CDYSL), who have travelled 3,000 miles to play in Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) competitions this spring, are bringing championship medals back to the North Country. In the Boys-Under-17 Eastern New York Premier League (ENYPL) final on June 10, Plattsburgh shut out the Lake Grove/Newfield Rebels of the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL), 3-0. This championship game was played at Stringham Park in LaGrange, a mere 244 miles from Plattsburgh.

“In the first half, Lake Grove/Newfield possessed the ball more than we did so we had a talk at halftime. Once we got a better understanding about how we had to possess the ball, the team did well,” commented Plattsburgh coach Andrew Wylie.

Nate Boulé scored a three-goal hat trick for Plattsburgh. Sabour Tidjani is a field player who had the shutout in goal as replacement keeper while Plattsburgh’s starting keeper, Cameron Duffield, was competing at the New York State meet for Pentathlon.

The ENYPL is America’s oldest continuous Premier League, having originally kicked off play in 2001.

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.

Goalkeeper Peter Zarba Overcomes Challenges While Facing Much Older Opponents

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By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
 
October 29, 2013-The South Shore soccer hamlet of Oceanside was particularly hit by Hurricane Sandy a year ago and the Oceanside Fusion of the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL) was no exception as six players were displaced from their homes, including the home of goalkeeper Peter Zarba, living in the neighboring town of Island Park. The Zarbas received over a foot of water on their first floor and the family just finished rebuilding.
 
But that was far from the biggest challenge confronting Peter in the past year as his father, Peter Sr., died suddenly of a heart attack on February 8, 2013. He had become physically challenged after suffering a spinal cord injury in a car accident when he was a college student.
 
"Peter Zarba Sr. loved watching his son play, and he would make it to just about every game, even if it meant pushing his wheelchair through dirt, stones or grass fields," Ron Miller, a Fusion coach, stated. "He always had a smile and a kind word and his passing hit the team hard."
 
Peter said, "His loss has been devastating for me as he was a huge part of my life that cannot be replaced."
 
The Fusion coaches agreed that Peter responded with having one of his best seasons, highlighted by a victory over the Southampton Strikers in the Long Island Cup quarterfinals that the team won 4-3 after eight rounds of the shootout, as well as a shootout victory over the Hauppauge Azzurri that put Oceanside into the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) State Cup final. That shootout lasted an incredible 12 rounds of penalty kicks and Peter even scored a goal on his turn.
 
Last spring, Oceanside had an overall record of 17-3-0. On June 16 at the Three Village Soccer Park in Stony Brook, Oceanside blanked the Albertson Lions, 3-0, in the Long Island Cup final with Brandon Tarrash, Zachary Brooks and Jason Rosa scoring the goals. Peter got the shutout in goal and says that winning the Long Island Cup final was his best moment ever on a soccer field.
 
Along with the LIJSL Division 2 championship and the Manalapan Memorial Day Tournament title in New Jersey, that was an amazing three titles in four weeks for the Fusion.
 
Peter has played for the LIJSL’s Oceanside United during his entire life, beginning with intramural pee-wees, then the Oceanside Inferno coached by Anthony Palumbo and now the Fusion, which is currently 2-1-2 in LIJSL Division 1.
 
"Peter is following in his father’s footsteps as his dad was also a soccer goalkeeper," commented Fusion coach Steve Padaetz. "I have been most impressed with his maturity both on and off the field. Through Hurricane Sandy and his own personal ordeal, Peter has been a tremendous source of strength to his teammates."
 
Entering Holy Trinity High School as a 14-year-old freshman this fall, Peter earned the starting goalkeeper position on the varsity and played against opponents three years older on such powerhouse teams as St. Anthony’s, St. John the Baptist and Chaminade.
 
"I love playing against older players," Peter said. "They play more physical and they have harder, more accurate shots which helps me improve my game."
 
"And I know that my father is watching over me and he helps me through every game and situation."
 
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. 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 Special Children. 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 on to http://www.enysoccer.com/, which receives nearly 300,000 hits annually from the growing soccer community.
 

Three Longtime Volunteers Inducted Into the LIJSL Hall of Fame

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By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
 
April 4, 2023-The Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL), the largest league in the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA), inducted three longtime volunteers into the LIJSL Hall of Fame. The ceremony took place last Sunday, April 2 during a brunch at the Huntington Hilton.
 
Louis Pepe has been a coach and a member of the East Islip Soccer Club Board of Directors for more than two decades. He got his feet wet as the Director of Pictures and is now the Director of Finance and Auditing, keeping the soccer expense as small as possible for East Islip families. In 2007, Lou started East Islip’s TOPSoccer Program named Just For Kicks. The program has grown from 10 Special Children that first year to over 100 today. Over 500 kids have played in the program and over 300 volunteer instructors have taught the kids in the past 16 years. Some of the instructors’ lives have been so enriched by working with the TOPSoccer players that they returned to coach after graduating from college.
 
James Magyar founded the New Hyde Park Wildcats Soccer Club in 1978 with 60 boys being registered. In 1979, Jim started the Wildcats’ Intramural Program for both boys and girls. Two girls travel teams were added in 1980 with Jim coaching one of them. The next year, he started the New Hyde Park Wildcats Instructional Program for boys and girls ages 5 and 6, feeding into the Wildcats’ travel and intramural teams. After retiring as President of the club in 1985, Jim was responsible and instrumental in the debut of the New Hyde Park High School girls varsity and JV soccer teams. He was their first girls varsity coach and led the Gladiators for 22 years until he retired from the school district in 2007. His record was 286 wins, 118 losses and 18 ties as his teams won 12 division titles, one county and one Long Island championship. Additionally, he coached the Nassau County girls team in the Exceptional Senior Games for those same 22 years and also coached in the LIJSL Select (now Academy) Program.
 
Timothy Stalker started coaching his son Doug’s team, Terryville Juventus, in 1995 until they aged out of youth soccer. Tim then coached his daughter Jenna throughout her years as an intramural player. He took his youngest daughter Emily’s team, the Teryville Spirit, from intramurals to travel and still coaches the team to this day even after Emily decided against continuing to play youth soccer. With the Terryville Soccer Club, he was VP of Intramurals, Referee Coordinator and then Club President. No job is too big or too small as Tim lines fields, trains refs, assists in coaching and CPR training clinics. He spends countless hours as Chairperson of the LIJSL Games and Coaches Arbitration Committees. As if all this vounteering is not enough, Tim is also a member of the Long Island Soccer Referees Association (LISRA).
 
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. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/

“BUMPER STICKERS, MYTHS, RUMORS AND STORYTELLERS”

By Tim Bradbury, Director of Coaching Instruction
 
If this were the title of a new CD by Snow Patrol I think we would rightly be excited and looking forward to the download date.
Unfortunately, when it is the words that best describe the youth soccer environment that player’s players and parents have to wade through, all those that care about the future of the game should be concerned. I understand that most people want short cuts and that we live in a culture of "I want it now." Having studied the works of Jean Piaget and read his description of the American issue, I understand that most of us are constantly searching for a way to get to number "1" by finding the best shortcut.
My understanding of the issues has been extended after recently reading "BOUNCE" by Matthew Sayed. Sayed’s brilliant book looks at the talent myth and presents a wonderful case using Tiger Woods, the Williams sisters, his own table tennis exploits as well as Mia Hamm and Messi to mention but a few, to state the simple truth that with 10,000 hours plus of intense, deliberate practice performed at the right time with the guidance of the right coach, we can all become great. There are no short cuts you have to do the work and go through the steps and leagues to get to play at a high level. One of the lasting issues of US Soccer’s decision to allow several governing bodies within the youth game has been the proliferation of Premier leagues. The number of coaches that have seized the chance to be able to say we are in a Premier league, we are therefore a Premier team is astounding. We need to be honest just because it is called a Premier league does not necessarily make it one! If playing in the mainstream (along with the majority of the teams playing in an ENYYSA sanctioned league) you were a division three team you do not become Premier by simply moving to another league with the word Premier somewhere in the title. I hear you saying "Tim calm down, well what is the problem?" To make it plain and simple, as for myself the issue is clear, my problems with so many Premier leagues and the affects they are having are as follows:
1. Coaches and parents are jumping leagues simply to be able to say we are premier. This impulsiveness misleads the players and encourages the shortcut culture.
2. Players and parents jump from team to team looking for a real premier team, so many of the positive social aspects of being on a team are lost.
3. By misleading our players with what is the real standard, we give them a false impression of how much real effort is needed to get to play at the highest level.
4. By distributing the better players within each age group into so many different leagues the overall standard is dropping. One key ingredient for high level soccer is that the most competitive players get to play together.
5. One consequence of the confusion of what really is "Premier"? becomes that teams play in multiple leagues? This drastic increase in number of games played comes at the expense of less training. This hurts player development. It also lowers the standard of play in all of the "premier leagues" since the talent pool is now spread out across multiple leagues.
6. We are misleading our players. Coaching is a form of teaching and I believe the old saying to be true; ‘it is the most noble of professions.’ How can we lie to and mislead our players? I am certain that the number of premier leagues, select programs and academies will continue to grow and the consequence of this expansion will continue to lower standards and disappoint players and parents.
The answer then, and the growth of the game, lies in the hands of the coaches and parents. I ask that you research and understand the issues stated above and that most importantly you stop chasing short cuts that are false.
Tim Bradbury
Jean Piaget (French: [??~ pja??]; 9 August 1896 – 16 September 1980) was a Swiss developmental psychologist and philosopher known for his epistemological studies with children. His theory of cognitive development and epistemological view are together called "genetic epistemology".
Piaget placed great importance on the education of children. As the Director of the International Bureau of Education, he declared in 1934 that "only education is capable of saving our societies from possible collapse, whether violent, or gradual."[2]
 
Matthew Syed (born 2 November 1970) is a British journalist and broadcaster. He used to be an English table tennis international, and was the English number one for many years. He was three times the Men’s Singles Champion at the Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships (in 1997, 2000 and 2001),[1] and also competed for Great Britain in two Olympic Games.[2]
Bounce: How Champions Are Made by Matthew Syed – Professionelle
 
 

Refs Donate Time as Nearly $18,000 Raised From the Shamrock Shootout

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Referees and mentors during the Shamrock Shootout

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

March 15, 2019-50 teams made up of both boys and girls squads from the East Hudson Youth Soccer League (EHYSL) had fun in the 5th Annual Shamrock Shootout on the weekend of March 2 and 3 at The Net at Gold’s Gym in LaGrange. In all, nearly $18,000 was raised for non-profit organization Kickin’ Back to help in its mission to maximize the vast potential of adolescents in underserved communities throughout the world. Kieran McIlvenny and his wife Donna founded Kickin’ Back, as well as the Shamrock Shootout to help fund their non-profit organization.

This indoor tournament is Kickin’ Back’s largest fundraiser every year and it has raised nearly $120,000 since its inception. After every match, each team chose a player from the opposing team who showed exceptional sportsmanship and that player received a small soccer ball with the Kickin’ Back logo on it.

“We've recently built a school library in Namibia. We have two big projects this year, a school library and dining hall in the Otjozindjupa region of Namibia and a soccer pitch and education center in Chituka, Malawi,” Kieran explained, “Special thanks to all those who volunteer at the tournament and to Gold’s Gym for kindly donating the fields for the tournament.”

Irreplaceable in making the Shamrock Shootout a success were the referees and mentors from the Hudson Valley Soccer Referee Association (HVSRA) who donated their time.

“Our primary mission at the Hudson Valley Soccer Referee Association is to educate and promote our members to become better soccer officials. With our new Board of Directors installed last year, it was imperative to launch a robust mentorship program to grow, maintain and retain membership,” explained HVSRA President Brian Baer. “With 123 new referees since September 2018 and the great majority of them being teenagers, many did not have the chance to officiate a match. In previous editions of the Shamrock Shootout, our members donated their time to officiate and our long-standing partnership with Kickin’ Back created a superb environment to teach our newest officials the fine craft of soccer refereeing.“

So 22 new referees, supported by 12 mentors, officiated 86 matches over the course of the tournament. 

“While most of the officials were anxious before their first match, their abilities progressed exponentially during their 3- to 4-hour shift,“ concluded President Baer. “The new officials found the experience rewarding and supportive in a competitive yet non-resulted oriented environment. HVSRA will gladly be back at the Shamrock Shootout again next year to give back.“
 

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 nine 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.

Former ODP Player Kim DeCesare Crosses the Atlantic to Play Professionally in Sweden

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Photo courtesy of www.akfoto.se

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

August 6, 2014-Kim DeCesare must like wearing blue. She starred in the blue of Duke University, then played in the blue of the Boston Breakers and is now wearing the blue of Eskilstuna United DFF, in the middle of the standings of the Damallsvenskan, the top women’s league in Sweden.

After being selected by the Boston Breakers in the 2014 National Women’s Soccer League Draft, she played in one game vs. league-leading Seattle, and played in every match with the Boston Breakers Reserves in the Women’s Premier Soccer League.

“My time with the Breakers was awesome and it is a potential place I may end up in the future,” Kim said.

An opportunity to play in Sweden was too good to pass up.

“I knew even in college that I wanted to experience playing internationally at some point in my career, I just didn't know when,” Kim explained. ”I spoke to a few people while I was playing with the Reserves in Boston and a spot opened up on Eskilstuna United. I knew it would be a great opportunity. A few things fell into place and next thing I knew, I was on a flight to Stockholm.” 

Eskilstuna, Sweden is an hour west of Stockholm and the team begins the second half of the season on August 9 against Vittsjö GIK.

Kim has only been in Sweden two weeks and has learned some Swedish words with the first ones being “Tack” (Thank you) and “Hallon” (Raspberry), which she figured out from the flavor of yogurt she was eating. Communication is not a problem as all her teammates and the head coach, Viktor Erikkson, speak English.

In youth soccer, the Massapequa Park resident played two years for the Olympic Development Program (ODP) of the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) and one year on Region 1 ODP.

In the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL), Kim played from Girls-Under-10 to Girls-Under-18 with the Massapequa Power. After she and her teammates graduated from high school, the Power no longer existed so Kim then played two summers with the LIJSL’s HBC Arsenal.

2008 was a very good year for Kim at Massapequa High School as she was named the Most Valuable Player in girls soccer in Nassau County and received the Michael Clarke Award, named after the esteemed Eastern New York Hall of Famer, as well as being honored as the Newsday Long Island Player of the Year and Gatorade Player of the Year for New York State.

The National Honor Society member used a LIJSL Scholarship to partially fund her education at Duke University. As a redshirt sophomore, she scored the first goal of the game in a 4-1 victory over Wake Forest in the NCAA Semifinals to send the Blue Devils to the final, where they lost to Stanford, 1-0.

“Kimberly became the mainstay on defense for the Massapequa Power. With sort of an old-school mind set, there was never a harder worker in practice or better teammate. She always put the team's success before her own accolades,” explained Power coach Tom Daly. “She was there when someone needed a pat on the back, or even a soft kick in the butt. She’s earned everything she has achieved with her blood, sweat and heart. I have never seen anyone want something so badly, and put so much work into achieving a dream.”

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 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 Special Children. 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 on to http://www.enysoccer.com/, which receives nearly 300,000 hits annually from the growing soccer community.

Dix Hills Hurricanes Five-Peats as State Champions

 

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By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
 
June 13, 2018-The Dix Hills Hurricanes are one of the best teams ever in the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA), having won five consecutive State Open Cup trophies. In the Boys-Under-19 State Open Cup final on June 9, the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL) team defeated FC Somers Galaxy of the Westchester Youth Soccer District (WYSD), 5-2.

How appropriate that this championship game was played at the Peter Collins Soccer Park in Plainview as the Boys-Under-19 trophy is named the Peter Collins Cup. Peter is a U.S. Soccer Hall of Famer and U.S. Soccer Life Member who volunteered as LIJSL President from 1977 to 2004.

The Bethpage resident coached the Hicksville Minutemen to the Boys-Under-19 national finals.

Sammy Steinberg scored two goals while Armand Kirbria, Andrew McDonald and Noel Reyes added one goal apiece for Dix Hills.

“We were sloppy at the start but settled down 15 minutes into the game,” explained Dix Hills coach Leo Musacchio. “FC Somers was great competition and they pressed us hard in the beginning but our ball possession eventually made the difference."

Dix Hills will represent Eastern New York 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.

Mount Kisco Soccer League Founder Galo Trujillo Inducted Into the Eastern New York Soccer Hall of Fame

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On the left is Galo Trujillo with fellow Hall of Famer Peter Pinori

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

December 12, 2014-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) and Eastern New York State Adult Soccer Association (ENYSASA) are pleased to announce that Mount Kisco Soccer League Founder Galo Trujillo has been inducted into the Eastern New York Soccer Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony took place at our 2014 Holiday Party on December 7 at Marina del Rey in the Bronx.

Galo’s passion for soccer began as a little boy playing in the streets of Ibarra, Ecuador. After emigrating to New York in 1994, he realized that Mount Kisco lacked an organized soccer league that would allow himself and an increasing number of Latino immigrants to fuel their passion for soccer. So he helped found the Mount Kisco Soccer League and was President for the first 18 years of the league’s existence. The players were divided into 12 teams and game day was the highlight of the week for many of these recent immigrants.

Galo founded the Mount Kisco Indoor League in 2006, is the only President the league has ever known and he has served on the Eastern District Soccer League (EDSL) Board of Directors since 2010.

As neighboring towns began forming leagues of their own, Galo understood the need for Spanish-speaking referees. His friend, Jose Vargas, encouraged him to become a referee. Today, Galo is a State referee, assessor, instructor plus also officiates college and high school games in addition to US Soccer matches.

Galo has also served as an AYSO volunteer for the past 12 years as a referee and coach.

Congratulations to new Hall of Famer Galo Trujillo.

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 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 Special Children. 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 on to http://www.enysoccer.com/, which receives nearly 300,000 hits annually from the growing soccer community.

The Smithtown Panthers Are the New Girls-Under-12 State Champs

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By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
 
June 8, 2016-In the Girls-Under-12 State Open Cup final between two Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL) teams, the Smithtown Panthers topped HBC Soccer Legacy, 3-2, at Stringham Park in LaGrange. This Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) championship game was played on June 4.
 
Hannah Maracina scored two goals for Smithtown and Alyssa Allocca netted one while Amanda Balkunos and Katlyn Krupski scored HBC’s goals.
 
“We gave 110% and never gave up,” Smithtown coach Andrea Miller stated. “HBC is a very good team and we always have a good battle against them.”
 
HBC received the Howard Rubenstein Sportsmanship Award as determined by the game officials. Now living in Kentucky, Mr. Rubenstein was seemingly involved in every facet of New York soccer fordecades and is a member of the Halls of Fame of Eastern New York, the US Amateur Soccer Association and the LIJSL.
 
Smithtown will be training for the Regionals from June 30 to July 5 in Barboursville, West Virginia and Eastern New York will help pay for their costs.
 
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.

Local Soccer Organizations Donate Money to Repair the Northport Soccer Park

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By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
 
October 12, 2015-When the Northport Soccer Park off Eatons Neck Road opened at the turn of the millennium, its four pristine fields became known across Long Island as one of the best soccer complexes in the area. The Northport/Cow Harbor United Soccer Club of the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL), which leases the fields from National Grid, has been maintaining the fields in top condition ever since.

But when club volunteers arrived at the Soccer Park on Saturday morning, September 12 for opening day of the LIJSL Fall Season, the fields had been vandalized. The police have since arrested four local teenagers who are charged with driving onto the four fields, damaging all of them with tire tracks.

15 games to be played that weekend at the Northport Soccer Park were cancelled, affecting approximately 500 children, teenagers and their families. That’s when the groups under the umbrella of the United States Youth Soccer Association (USYSA) sprang into action. LIJSL clubs donated $6,650, $1,000 was donated by the LIJSL with an additional $500 each being donated by the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) and Cosmopolitan Junior Soccer League (CJSL) for a grand total of $8,650 to help Northport/Cow Harbor.

Club volunteers were able to repair the fields in time for the 27th Annual Northport/Cow Harbor Columbus Day Tournament on October 10 and 11.

“On behalf of the Northport/Cow Harbor United Soccer Club Board of Directors and our membership, I would like to thank ENYYSA, LIJSL, CJSL and the member clubs for their offers of use of fields and the generous financial donations to repair our home soccer fields. The strength of friendships that knit together the soccer community is a part of what makes soccer the great sport it is,” commented Northport/Cow Harbor United Soccer Club President David Bozett.

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 Special Children. 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 on to http://www.enysoccer.com/, which receives nearly 300,000 hits annually from the growing soccer community.