Gunners Soccer Kids celebrate winning the ENYYSA Boys U-13 State Cup. (Photo courtesy of ENYYSA)

Gunners Soccer Kids Blue topped Barca Academy Pro, 2-1, to win the Boys Under-13 State Open Cup championship at Stringham Park in LaGrange, N.Y. on June 3.

The Gunners’ goals were scored by Wilson Carrion and Angel Ramirez in the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association tournament. Goalkeeper Jeremy Hurtado, who made several spectaicular saves to preserve the win, was named player of the match.

“I love my players and we had it today!” said Gunners coach Frank Pampin, the 2022 regional coach of the year.

Barca Academy did not leave the Hudson Valley empty-handed as the team received the Rocco Amoroso Sportsmanship Award as determined by the game officials. Amoroso, a U.S. Soccer Life Member who died seven years ago, started the Long Island Junior Soccer League Sportsmanship Program in 1980 and it spread to Eastern New York, nationally and then to China and Ireland.

Gunners Soccer Kids will represent ENYYSA at the East Regionals from June 23-29 in Loudoun County, Va. as part of the National Championship Series.

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.