By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
June 10, 2025-Capital Elite Blue Fire shut out NYCFC North, 2-0, in the Girls-Under-17 final on Sunday, June 1 at the Blue Sky Sports Complex in Middletown to win the Richard Christiano Cup.
Bridget Coon scored both goals for Capital Elite while Addie Reinhold and Nadia Aggour shared the shutout in goal.
“We scored two really good goals in the first half and battled the rest of the way in an even game,” explained Capital Elite coach Kevin Smith.
Capital Elite also received the Rocco Amoroso Sportsmanship Award as determined by the game officials. Amoroso, a US Soccer Life Member who died nine 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.
Richard Christiano, the cup’s namesake, has brought fiscal responsibility to the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) as President for the past 16 years. He also was a youth coach for the New Hyde Park Wildcats and served on the LIJSL Board of Directors for 14 years, greatly improving the LIJSL Select Program during this time.
Capital Elite will represent Eastern New York at the East Regionals from June 28 to July 3 in Loudoun County, 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/