Berkeley College's New York men's soccer coach – Stavros Zomopoulos – continues to add to his impressive resume. This past Friday evening – Sal Rapaglia – the President of the Eastern New York Soccer Association – presented Zomopolous with an award, thanking him for 25 years of service to the game. Following the reception of the award, the soccer lifer expressed his appreciation for being recognized.
"It was a great honor to be recognized for 25 years of service to the game by the Eastern New York Soccer Association," Zomopoulos said. " I hope to be involved with soccer, contribute to its development, and to promote its growth for the next 25 years."
Eastern New York Soccer Association is comprised of more than 120,000 players and more than 25,000 volunteers. Members are affiliated with 10 leagues throughout the association, which covers: Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island, the Bronx, Long Island, Westchester, and upstate New York east of Route 81.
While ENYYSA member leagues administer their own local programs, the leagues also take advantage of the assistance provided by ENYYSA to develop and educate their coaches and players; to provide insurance coverage for their participants; and for administrative assistance.
Since Zomopoulos' arrival at Berkeley College in 2009, the institution's New York men's soccer team has enjoyed a tremendous amount of success. He has led the Knights to six appearances in the Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament final - and three conference titles (in 2010, 2012, and 2015). Berkeley captured HVIAC Regular Season titles in 2013 and 2015, and shared the crown in 2012. Zomopoulos is also a two-time Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, as he earned those distinctions during the 2013 and 2015 campaigns.
Additionally, Zomopoulos has helped the Knights earn National recognition, leading Berkeley to two appearances in the USCAA Men's Soccer National Tournament in both the 2013 and 2015 campaigns. The Knights are the only non-scholarship institution to have reached the semifinals of the National tournament twice. Both times, Berkeley defeated scholarship schools to do so. On Zomopoulos' watch, six different student-athletes have earned USCAA All-American status, and 10 student-athletes have been named Academic All-Americans.