By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
August 18, 2020-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) is very pleased to announce that Kyla Burns is receiving a Patricia Louise Masotto and Brenda Driscoll Scholarship. The award is based on success in high school as well as community service. The scholarship’s namesakes were best friends and top women’s soccer players from Massapequa, Long Island and Eastern New York set up a scholarship in their name after they were killed by a drunk driver in 1985.
Kyla wrote in her essay that “I’m not sure what my life would look like without soccer, and I don’t think that I’d want to see it. After 14 years of different teammates, coaches and experiences, I have friends all over the East Coast. The relationships I’ve made through the game is something I wouldn’t trade for anything.”
In the East Hudson Youth Soccer League (EHYSL), Kyla played for the Kingston Flames, Red Hook Rain and Red Hook Heatwave as well as the East Hudson Academy. She also competed for the Olympic Development Program (ODP) for Eastern New York as well as the East Region.
“I had been lucky enough to have my dad as my travel team coach when I was in elementary school. All of a sudden, he wanted me to try out for this new team called the East Hudson Academy. This was way outside my comfort zone at nine years old. In the two years I was a part of the team, I learned some valuable skills on and off the field, and it was the first time getting feedback from coaches other than my dad, which was nice.”
The Ruby resident graduated from Kingston High School with Honors plus played piano and saxophone, as well as tutored students on the piano. Additionally, she helped restore an Apache reservation in New Mexico and rebuilt homes in Appalachia.
Good luck to Kyla, who will be studying and playing soccer at Temple University.
With approximately 100,000 youth soccer players––both boys and girls––and more than 25,000 volunteers, the non-profit Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border. Members are affiliated with nine leagues throughout the association, which covers the entire state of New York east of Route 81. ENYYSA exists to promote and enhance the game of soccer for children and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 19 years old, and to encourage the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators. All levels of soccer are offered––from intramural, travel team and premier players as well as Children With Special Needs. No child who wants to play soccer is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of the United States Soccer Federation and United States Youth Soccer Association. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/, which receives nearly 300,000 hits annually from the growing soccer community.