Sachem East Boys Soccer Alumni Happy To Get Back On Field

With 60 boys soccer alumni since its first year in 2004, Sachem East varsity boys soccer coach Matt Stallone held the first annual East Alumni Soccer Game Saturday.

Over 20 alumni showed on the turf to get together, chat with their former teammates and have some fun on the soccer field. With so many alumni arriving in Sachem East red, teams were split evenly between those wearing red and those wearing dark colors. After the dark colors got off to an early lead, the red team came back with a flurry of goals before the scrimmage ended in a 9-9 tie.

"We've always done one the past few years with guys going all the way back to the '70s but this year we wanted to get one for the East alumni," Stallone said. "It was sort of a last minute event. We got the guys, coaches and club coaches and to see all the talent that comes through the program after they leave Sachem and move on in life, that's the best part about it. It's nice to see them come back to where they came from."

Some are currently moving on to law school, others have begun work with Fortune 500 companies in the city, others returned from trips abroad to places like Switzerland and some are still in college.

While a few of the current college students have continued their playing careers like Greg Tinari (First Team All-Conference at Stony Brook University), Greg Schook (junior at East Stroudsburg), Nick Parisi (Bryant) and Sean Atkinson (Potsdam), many have moved on and enjoyed the chance to get out and kick the ball around with old friends.

"It's great," said Pat Viray, a junior at Binghamton." I haven't played seriously in three years so it's good to touch the ball every once in a while. I'm a little tired. I usually run up at school but it's different when you actually play soccer."

"I like getting back out here playing with the older and younger guys," added 2006 East grad Dominic Saccocio. "It's great to get back on the field. I haven't been out there in a while. Just playing around, kicking the ball, I feel good."

Matt Tinari, a 2005 East grad, who played on the school's county championship team, and brother of fellow alum Greg and current East soccer player Andrew, recently started up an indoor team at KK Athletics with other alumni.  He wasn't used to playing outside.

"It's freezing," he said. "I wish it was inside but its fun. Up until the winter, I hadn't played since we won in '05, but a couple of the varsity guys made the indoor team at KK and we won our league. It's still fun to get back out there."

While this year's game was an impromptu get together, Stallone hopes to make it a tradition after a successful day Saturday.

"Next year we want to make it a little bit more of a public thing," he said. "Thanksgiving's a great time to do it because a lot of the kids are home from school. It's very rewarding as coaches to see them come down and use the facility and they enjoy each other's company so much they never skip a beat. It's just nice to see the kids come out and knock the ball around."