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

July 1, 2017-In a back-and-forth final on June 10 at Stringham Park in LaGrange, the Longwood Herricanes topped the Oceanside Thunderbolts, 3-2. This championship game between two Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL) teams was for the Girls-Under-14 Arch Cup Platinum trophy.

“We were down 2-1 at the half, but we turned it up 100% as we’ve done all season long. We won the game by controlling the 50-50 balls, executed passes and had great finishing,” explained Longwood coach Guy Vitale. 

Bailey Drinkwater, Yesenia Lopez and Emily Kaelin scored Longwood’s goals.

Oceanside received the Rocco Amoroso Sportsmanship Award as determined by the game officials. The namesake of the award, who died last year, was inducted into the Halls of Fame of the LIJSL and Eastern New York plus was honored as a Life Member by U.S. Soccer. Amoroso started the LIJSL Sportsmanship Program in 1980, it has since been copied around the world and he spoke about the benefits of Fair Play across the United States.

The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) would like to thank our title sponsor, Arch Capital Group, which writes insurance and reinsurance on a worldwide basis through operations in the United States, Bermuda, Canada and Europe, with a focus on specialty lines. Thank you, Arch Capital Group, in providing the funds to help our players keep on dreaming!

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.