Quickstrike FC Blue will represent ENY at the East Regionals later this month. (Photo courtesy of ENYYSA)
Quickstrike FC Blue recovered from a 1-0 deficit to defeat Empire State Alleycats Academy Red, 5-1, to win the Girls Under-12 State Open Cup championship on June 3 at overcast Stringham Park in LaGrange, N.Y.
The cup’s namesake, Joanne Roth, was a beloved and smiling presence at the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association office until her untimely passing from ALS in 2019.
Samantha Schultz netted two goals while Carrie Baker, Ariana Gemling and Astir Kaur scored one apiece.
“It was an evenly matched game,” Quickstrike coach Mike Winn said. “We came from behind and capitalized on our opportunities in the second half.”
Empire State Alleycats 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 Long Island Junior Soccer League Sportsmanship Program in 1980 and it spread to Eastern New York, nationally and to China and Ireland.
Quickstrike, from the Hudson Valley, will represent Eastern New York at the East Regionals from June 23-29 in Loudoun County, Virginia as part of the National Championship Series.
