Float like a butterfly … STING like a bee!
Lynbrook/East Rockaway soccer team finishes season, prepares for new challenges
In the spring of 2011, a very special group of boys were brought together to create the Lynbrook/East Rockaway STING Boys U-9 soccer team.
Their journey began in the summer, with weekly practices in preparation for their first season of travel soccer in the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL). This roster of 13 boys quickly became a team to watch as they completed their Fall 2011 season with a 10-0 record, which garnered them Division Champions. Their coaches, James O’Connell and Leo Guarino, along with their trainers Kevin, Eric and Jonathan, kept the boys’ skills sharp during the winter by playing indoors.
When the spring season rolled around, the boys were ready to face some challenging opponents from perennial powerhouse Soccer Clubs from Massapequa, Uniondale and Levittown. The Lynbrook/East Rockaway STING continued to play with intensity and determination, using the many skills they had been taught to once again finish the Spring 2012 season, LIJSL Division Champions with an undefeated record of 9-0. This gave them an amazing 19-0 record for their year in the U-9 division in LIJSL.
In addition to this amazing accomplishment, the boys participated in a single elimination tournament sponsored by LIJSL called the Long Island Cup Finals. The Lynbrook/East Rockaway STING survived the initial three rounds and placed them in the LI Cup Finals, that were played at Stony Brook University on Father’s Day, June 17. This LI Cup Finals was made even more compelling when the opponent that advanced to the finals against them was the other U-9 Travel Team from the Lynbrook/East Rockaway Soccer Club, Juventus.
Many families and fans from the towns of Lynbrook and East Rockaway travelled out to Stony Brook to support this unique match-up between two teams from the same Soccer Club. Unfortunately, there had to be a winner and the STING won 5-1 and were named LI Cup U-9 Major A champions. Although the season has come to an end for the team, the players, their coaches and trainers will use the summer months to prepare for all the new challenges that await them in the fall of 2012 in the U-10 division and beyond. We look forward to seeing what this amazing team will do next on the pitch!
