HBC Strikers defeat Manhattan Kickers Red 3-1 to win Eastern NY U-17 Girls State Open Cup

(ENYYSA / Randy Vogt) – The Girls-Under-17 State Open Cup final of the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) was an interesting match-up between the HBC Strikers of the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL) and the Manhattan Kickers Red of the Cosmopolitan Junior Soccer League (CJSL), two teams who had never won a State Open Cup championship before. HBC proved they are the best team in the state with a 3-1 win on a wet field on May 31 in LaGrange.

Brianna Cuccia, Emily Kaplan and Dominique Sarcona scored the HBC goals.

“We have been preparing for the State Open Cup for the whole year as we trained 11 months for this,” commented HBC coach Moussa Sy. “It takes consistency and commitment like everything else and playing in the Regionals will not be any different.”

HBC received a $2,000 check from Eastern New York to defray their costs during the Regionals from June 26 to 30 in Barboursville, West Virginia.

Manhattan received the Howard Rubenstein Sportsmanship Award for the Fair Play they demonstrated on the field. Now retired, Mr. 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 US Amateur Soccer Association and the Long Island Junior Soccer League.