Coaching staff to be led by Michele Canning who will be joined by assistant coaches Salma Tarik, Jen Leaverton, Scott Waddell and Emily Morphitis

NEW YORK, NY April 25, 2017 — New York Surf Soccer Club is pleased to announce its UWS coaching staff for the 2017 season and its status as an amateur reserve team for the National Women’s Soccer League’s Sky Blue FC. Continuing its commitment to assembling the finest club coaching staff in the New York metro region, NY Surf’s UWS staff includes two current college head coaches and three current college assistant coaches. The team will be comprised the amateur Sky Blue reserve players, some the nation’s most talented current and former collegiate players and a select number of the region’s most elite high school juniors and seniors.

“We are honored that Sky Blue FC has selected the NY Surf UWS program as one of its amateur Reserve Teams,” commented NY Surf President Matt Popoli. “In order to ensure that our UWS team trains and plays at the highest level, we have assembled one of the finest coaching staffs in the United Women’s Soccer League,” added Popoli.

NY Surf’s UWS Head Coach and Manager Michele Canning is the current head coach of the NYU Women’s Soccer program where she led the Violets to their first-ever at-large bid to the NCAA tournament in 2014. Previously Coach Canning was an assistant coach for six years at St. John’s University and played in the Big East for Seton Hall University.

“We are very excited to add this level to the developmental pyramid of our club,” said Christy Holly, Sky Blue FC head coach. “The addition of an amateur reserve team presents an incredible opportunity for players who aspire to compete at the professional level. The alignment

and shared philosophy between Sky Blue FC and NY Surf also allows a consistent learning curriculum for all of the players who are developed within this system.”

Assistant coach Salma Tarik is the current head coach of the St. Joseph’s Women’s Soccer program and a standout player on the Egyptian national soccer team. Tarik took over the St. Joseph’s program after serving three seasons as assistant men’s soccer coach at Mercy College and played collegiately for three years at Hofstra after transferring from Cal State Northridge.

St. John’s assistant women’s soccer coach Jen Leaverton will also serve as an assistant coach for NY Surf’s UWS team. During Leaverton’s her first year on the sideline at her alma mater in 2015, she helped guide the Red Storm to a school record 15 wins and the first Big East Regular Season title in program history. For her efforts, Leaverton was named the 2015 NSCAA Northeast Region Assistant Coach of the Year.

Also joining the staff is assistant coach Scott Waddell who serves under Coach Canning as assistant coach at NYU. Coach Waddell previously served as an assistant coach at New Jersey Institute of Technology and in the same role for four years at his alma mater, Columbia University, where he was a standout player and team captain. After starring at Columbia, Coach Waddell played professionally for Pulau Penang FC (2008) and Real Mona FC (2009).

Completing the coaching staff and serving as the goalie coach for the team will Emily Morphitis, who serves in the same role for Hofstra University. A former standout Hofstra goalie from 2010 – 2013, Morphitis has been an assistant coach at her alma mater since 2016. Prior to joining the Hofstra coaching staff, Morphitis was the goalie coach at Northwestern State. Before going to Hofstra as a player, Morphitis played club soccer for the Chelsea Ladies first team from 2008 – 2010 and with the English U-15, U-17 and U-19 National Teams.

The NY Surf UWS team will start training on May 1st and plays its first game vs. Western New York Flash UWS on May 14th at 2:00 PM at SUNY Maritime. Interested and qualified players should submit their soccer qualifications to uws@nysurfsoccer.org to be considered for an invitation to the team. The deadline for submitting player qualifications is May 1st. The NY Surf UWS team will train Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays starting on May 1st from 8PM to 10PM at SUNY Maritime through mid- July. The NY Surf UWS game schedule can be found at www.nysurfsoccer.org.

Sky Blue FC will play its 2017 home opener when it hosts FC Kansas City this Sunday, April 30, at Yurcak Field on the campus of Rutgers University in Piscataway, N.J. Kickoff for that match is

slated for 6:00 p.m., and tickets are available now online or by calling 888-SBFC-TIX (888-723-2849).

To find out more information about the New York Surf Soccer Club, make sure to check us out online at www.nysurfsoccer.org and follow on social media: @NYSurfSoccer

For all of the latest news on Sky Blue FC, visit the team online and follow us on social media: @SkyBlueFC

 

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