Power celebrates undefeated soccer season

Sunday, June 12, was a bittersweet day for the Rockville Centre Power. The under-18-year-old girls were elated to have gone undefeated in the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association President's League — one of the state’s premier leagues. And they didn’t just win, they won overwhelmingly, allowing only three goals while scoring 31 en route to a 9-0-1 record. But for some, the end of the season meant the end of playing together.

Next year they’ll be moving on to college. The list of schools — including SUNY-Oneonta, University of North Carolina – Wilmington, Johnson & Wales, College of Saint Rose, Hofstra University, Scranton University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston College, Penn State, Georgetown University — indicates that they’re not just great athletes, they’re outstanding students, too.

Excellence in academics is all part of the team’s plan for success says trainer Chris Lyn, “You need a multi-year plan that starts with solid academic students in a well developed training and nutrition education program. Then those players need to display teamwork that showcases college level skills. You need to also market those dedicated players to the right people at the right events. Then good things happen to good people."

The girls showed their dedication, taking on opponents in Florida, Washington DC, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey and Upstate New York and, of course, in many Long Island tournaments. But the next time they meet they’ll be on college campuses — on opposite ends of the pitch.