The Lindenhurst Bulldogs will represent ENYYSA at the Region I tournament. (Photo courtesy of ENYYSA)

Four goals from Nick Berneri made the difference as the Lindenhurst Bulldogs shut out New York Surf Long Island to win the Boys Under-14 title of the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association. 4-0.

This final for the Howard Rubenstein Cup was played on June 2 at Stringham Park in LaGrange.

Now living in Kentucky, Rubenstein was seemingly involved in every facet of New York soccer for decades and is a member of the Halls of Fame of Eastern New York, the U.S. Amateur Soccer Association and the LIJSL.

Joey Blackton and Matt Star are Lindenhurst’s captains and Sean Ronessi got the shutout in goal.

Lindenhurst hails from the Long Island Junior Soccer League, while New York Surf Long Island plays in the Westchester Youth Soccer District.

“We started to trust one another and move the ball and that led us to the championship,” Lindenhurst coach Jason Garguilo said.

Lindenhurst also received the Rocco Amoroso Sportsmanship Award, as determined by the game officials. Amoroso, a U.S. Soccer Life Member who died in 2016, started the LIJSL Sportsmanship Program in 1980 and it spread around the world.

The Bulldogs will represent ENYYSA at the Region I tournament in Spotsylvania, Va. June 29 to July 3.

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.