Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association has awarded Eileen Fiore a Patricia Louise Masotto and Brenda Driscoll Scholarship.

The scholarship is based on academic and athletic success as well as community service. The scholarship’s namesakes were best friends and top women’s soccer players from Massapequa, N.Y. Eastern New York set up a scholarship in their name after they were killed by a drunk driver in 1985.

Fiore, who started playing soccer when she was four-years-old, plays for the Rhinebeck Breakers of the East Hudson Youth Soccer League.

In her hometown of Poughkeepsie, Fiore volunteered for seemingly every organization there, including the Samuel Morse Estate, Grace Smith House, a Veterans Day Memorial Service, community theater, physical therapy mentor and Christmas caroling at a nursing home.

At Spackenkill High School, she played varsity soccer for six years, varsity basketball for three years, varsity softball for three years and ran varsity track for one.

In her essay Fiore wrote, “On October 31, 2015, my world changed as I tore my ACL in the Section 9 Class B girl’s soccer final. After that game, I began a year-long tortuous rehabilitation and recovery that changed me. During this time, I was detached from everything I loved. I was in constant pain, couldn’t walk for three months and endured grueling physical therapy for nine months. I was losing weight like I never had before and was pushing away friends. Then I went to see a therapist and was diagnosed with Environmental Change Depression. I decided that I could no longer let myself spiral into this hole I was digging. I worked hard and slowly my knee started to heal and I was beginning to feel the way I had before.”

Sporting a protective compression sleeve over her right knee, Fiore regained most of her skills as a scorer and led Spackenkill to a sixth consecutive section title last fall, a year after she tore her ACL.

Front Row Soccer editor Michael Lewis has covered 13 World Cups (eight men, five women), seven Olympics and 25 MLS Cups. He has written about New York City FC, New York Cosmos, the New York Red Bulls and both U.S. national teams for Newsday and has penned a soccer history column for the Guardian.com. Lewis, who has been honored by the Press Club of Long Island and National Soccer Coaches Association of America, is the former editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He has written seven books about the beautiful game and has published ALIVE AND KICKING The incredible but true story of the Rochester Lancers. It is available at Amazon.com.