By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
June 5, 2026-Albion Brooklyn Academy topped the Hauppauge Rush, 2-1, on Saturday, May 30 at the Blue Sky Sports Complex in Middletown in a final played for the Howard Rubenstein Cup, emblematic of the Boys-Under-14 State Open Cup title in the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA).
Rubenstein 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).
“My keeper, Felix Curran, made some amazing saves,” Albion coach Tom Ginn explained. “Hauppauge made the game difficult for us.”
Albion’s Sarat Gangali picked a great time to score his first goal of the season and Dylan Diker scored the game-winner, just as he did in the semifinal, a 2-1 win over Brentwood Premier.
Albion will play for the national championship from July 16 to 23 in Salt Lake City.
Happauge did not leave Orange County empty-handed as they received the Rocco Amoroso Sportsmanship Award as determined by the game officials. Amoroso, a US Soccer Life Member who died a decade ago, started the LIJSL Sportsmanship Program in 1980 and it spread to Eastern New York, nationally and then to China and Ireland.
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, east of Route 81. ENYYSA encourages 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 US Soccer and US Youth Soccer. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/