By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
July 31, 2024-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) is pleased to announce that one of our longtime Olympic Development Program (ODP) players, Diego Flores, is receiving a scholarship through the Cortlandt ODP College Scholarship Program. ODP is the highest level of play in each state association and we would particularly like to thank the Cortlandt Soccer Club for funding this scholarship.
At Smithtown East High School, Diego was a member of the Math Honor Society, Science Honor Society and French Honor Society while maintaining a weighted GPA of 4.28. He had been the Bulls’ starting goalkeeper since 2021 and was honored three times as both All-Conference and All-County, named Long Island Boys Soccer Goalkeeper of the Year, received the News 12 Long Island Scholar-Athlete Award and was a Ray Perez Scholarship Recipient.
Diego also received Eastern New York’s Livio D’Arpino Scholarship earlier this summer. Two separate committees made up of different volunteers selected Diego for these two scholarship awards.
The Nesconset resident has played for ODP since 2019 and been a member of the National ODP Team since 2022, playing in the Dallas Cup’s Boys-Under-17 final in 2023.
This summer, Diego helped lead SUSA Black to the championship game of the Ryder-Vass Cup in the Long Island Soccer Football League (LISFL) Men’s-Under-23 competition.
We wish Diego the best pursuing a nursing degree and playing soccer at Southern Connecticut State University starting this fall.
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 on to http://www.enysoccer.com/