By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
June 10, 2024-In a championship game between two sporting teams from Long Island, New York Hota Blue defeated Stony Brook LGN Storm Blue, 4-1, to win the Boys-Under-17 State Open Cup championship on June 2 at Stringham Park in LaGrange.
The cup’s namesake, Jose Vargas, was a man of many hats (and many hats that had many feathers) who served as State Referee Administrator, State Youth Referee Administrator and State Director of Assessment as well as President of the Hudson Valley Youth Soccer League (HVYSL) and East Fishkill Soccer Club.
Danny Bonilla, Conor McCarthy, Erick Avelar and Myles Watson scored Hota’s goals.
“We didn’t play our best, but we did some good things to win the final,” stated New York Hota coach Matt Chin.
Stony Brook LGN 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.
As New York Hota has already qualified for Nationals, Stony Brook LGN 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/