As athletes and coaches (and parents) we can be very competitive when it comes to the game of soccer. We’ve all heard the
stories and had personal experiences from time to time with games that have crossed the lines of fair play. But as the Fall 2011 season came to a close, the Boys U14 Copiague Arsenal and their coach Julia Spadone displayed a level of sportsmanship that should serve as a lesson for all involved with the game.
The Merrick Dragons, coached by Rob Samuels, headed to Copiague for the final game of what had been an undefeated season to that point. However, they did so severely shorthanded. Beset by injuries, they were only able to field seven healthy players and one sub that was coming off injury. The Arsenal had a full roster of 16 players, but when the teams took the field Samuels was surprised by what he saw.
“Our team was really beaten up and short-handed,” Samuels said. “But instead of taking advantage of a situation, the Copiague team played even up against us.”
As the game went on it was clear that Coach Spadone had no intention of changing the game plan, even as her team fell behind.
“It was astounding to me,” said Rich Baroniunas, who was the referee for the game and also happens to be the chairman of the LIJSL Sportsmanship Committee. “The Arsenal played 7 v 7, never complained, and never gave any indication that they would cave to pressure and put 11 players on the field, even as the game came to a close with the final score of 2 to 1 against them.”
To Samuels, the final result hardly mattered. His team won the game and finished the season undefeated. But to him, the Arsenal players were winners thanks to the lessons they have learned from their coaches.
“Forget how the game ended,” he said. “Just the fact that George (assistant coach George Tsistinas) and Julia displayed sportsmanship of this kind deserves to be recognized. So many times we hear unsportsmanlike comments about a team, but in this case I would just like to applaud the Copiague U14 team.”
“Julia and her staff, and the whole Copiague team displayed something that went beyond the game and showed their true character,” added Baroniunas. “It was an amazing display of sportsmanship.”
The LIJSL was one of the first youth leagues of any kind in the entire world (yes, you read that right) to establish an organized sportsmanship program thanks to the efforts of Rocco Amoroso in the early 1980’s. The program has grown and flourished over the years, and in Samuels’ mind, Coach Spadone and her team are the epitome of what it means to be a good sport.
“If there is any way that LIJSL can have a sportsmanship award winner my vote goes to the whole U14 Copiague team and their coaches.”