State Cup

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

June 7, 2024-Hector Santiago scored the only goal of the game and Alex Jung recorded the shutout in net as Long Island’s East Coast FC Regional topped the Hudson Valley’s Just Play Soccer Premier, 1-0, to win the Boys-Under-14 State Open Cup championship on June 1 at Stringham Park in LaGrange. 

The game was played for the Howard Rubenstein Cup. Howard volunteered in seemingly every facet of New York soccer for decades and is a member of the Halls of Fame of Eastern New York, the US Amateur Soccer Association and the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL). The cup was named in his honor years ago and Howard passed away this past March.

“It was a tight game, we capitalized on a chance,” explained East Coast coach John Kokkoris. “This is in honor of Joe Misso, who lived from 1945 to 2024 and built the program plus was a club mentor.”

East Coast FC Regional will represent the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) at the East Regionals from June 27 to July 3 in Charleston and Barboursville, West 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 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 US Youth Soccer. For more information, please log onto http://www.enysoccer.com/

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

June 6, 2024-Manuel Bolanos scored a hat trick as B/W Gottschee Blue bested East Coast FC Regional, 4-2, to win the Boys-Under-13 State Open Cup championship on June 1 at Stringham Park in LaGrange. 

B/W Gottschee will represent the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) at the East Regionals from June 27 to July 3 in Charleston and Barboursville, West Virginia as part of the National Championship Series.Alexander Cifuengos scored B/W Gottschee’s other goal.

B/W Gottschee coach Henry Morales stated, “The final was a tough, even game and we scored two goals at the end to win the cup.”

B/W Gottschee Blue also received the Rocco Amoroso Sportsmanship Award as determined by the game officials. Amoroso, a US Soccer Life Member who died eight years 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. 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 US Youth Soccer. For more information, please log onto http://www.enysoccer.com/

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

June 5, 2024-In a game between two teams from the same historic Queens club, B/W Gottschee Blue defeated B/W Gottschee White, 4-0, to win the Boys-Under-12 State Open Cup championship on June 1 at Stringham Park in LaGrange. It was the 72nd state championship that B/W Gottschee teams have won since the club’s founding in 1951.

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 three years ago. 

Christian Perez scored two goals plus Teo Freund and Moussa Azala each added one. Goalkeepers James Semming and Alex Diclerico shared the shutout in goal.

“Credit to our club that two of our teams made the State Open Cup finals,” commented B/W Gottschee Blue coach Andreas Kalpaxis.

B/W Gottschee Blue also received the Rocco Amoroso Sportsmanship Award as determined by the game officials. Amoroso, a US Soccer Life Member who died eight years 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.

B/W Gottschee Blue will represent Eastern New York at the East Regionals from June 27 to July 3 in Charleston and Barboursville, West 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 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 US Youth Soccer. For more information, please log onto http://www.enysoccer.com/