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About the Team: The Long Island Fury enter their second year of existence.
In their inaugural season, the Long Island Fury had some very impressive numbers in winning the Women's Premier Soccer League national championship. Their final record was 11-2-2.
"It takes a lot of dedicated people to win a national championship," commented Fury General Manager Paul LeSueur.
Coach Paul Riley led the Fury to the national championship four years after coaching the Long Island Rough Riders to the same feat.
"This was an amazing experience and like the Rough Riders when we won it, we needed luck, hard work, great players and some magical moments," commented coach Riley. "I cannot single out any players but I give them all enormous credit. We stared going out many times in the latter stages of the season but they found the character to get through."
"In the Final Four, it was gut-check time and all the players came through with flying colors. There are so many great stories that made this dream come true for the Long Island Fury and I know it will be a lifelong memory for all those who played, coached, administered, volunteered and watched the team play," the coach continued. "These players have made the summer of 2006 a journey that all the youth players of Long Island will treasure."
The Fury began the season not conceding a goal in their first 642 minutes of play and ended it by not giving up a goal in their last 355 minutes of action. They outscored opponents, 44-9, and had 11 shutouts (out of 15 games) along the way.
The Fury won their last five games, all on the road and played in four different states.
The MVP of the Final Four was 17-year-old midfielder Kelly Henderson of Baldwin, going to Boston College this fall.
Emily Sammis of Melville, making her Fury debut on June 26, scored seven consecutive goals in the 9-0 victory over the New York Athletic Club.
"They are an exceptional group of young players and they finished first out of 39 teams, an amazing feat and one to savor for many years to come. Last summer, Long Island found new heroes in the women's game and I know many of our players have left a lasting impression on the future Furyites," the coach concluded.
About the Coaching: Paul Riley has been successful coaching at every level of soccer. He coached the CW Post College men's soccer team from 1989 to 1998, leading the Pioneers to the NCAA tournament three times. Riley then coached the Long Island Rough Riders from 1999 to 2004, a major highlight being winning the 2003 USISL national championship on a shoestring budget. He coached the Long Island Fury to the WPSL national championship in 2006.
He is also the Director of Coaching for the Albertson Soccer Club, one of the top ranked soccer clubs nationally according to a 2005 Soccer America poll.
Riley played collegiate soccer at Adelphi University and he still holds the Panthers' all-time assist and all-time points records. He played professionally in the 1980s and 1990s for the New Jersey Eagles, Albany Capitals and Long Island Rough Riders, captaining Teddy's troops to the 1995 national championship.
The native of Liverpool, England grew up a short corner kick from Penny Lane, made famous in the 1967 Beatles song. A lifelong fan of the Liverpool Reds, the Long Island Fury will wear red plus navy blue, the latter being the color of its youth teams.
Type of Players: nternational, college, high school and those who have graduated from college.
Local Colleges: Hofstra, Adelphi, CW Post, Stony Brook, Queens, New York Institute of Technology, St. Joseph's, Dowling, St. John's.
Player Tryouts: Tuesday, May 8 and Tuesday, May 15, both at 8 pm at Michael Tully Park in New Hyde Park, Long Island. |