Swarthmore College Women's Soccer Hosts CUYS for EPYSA "See It, Be It" Day

The ultimate goal for many young athletes is to play a varsity sport in college. Today, the children of Chester Upland Youth Soccer were inspired to reach that goal while working the sidelines and cheering on the Swarthmore College Women's Soccer team as they battled the top Division III team in the country to a nail-biting 3-2 finish.

CUYS players worked the sidelines chasing out-of-bounds balls during the first half, played their own scrimmage throughout halftime, then enjoyed lunch in the stadium while celebrating the Swarthmore Garnet’s impressive goals. After the game, they got to meet the players, then return to the field themselves to further experience the game in a large stadium environment.

Each child in attendance received a backpack filled with school supplies, puzzle books, active toys and healthy snacks, as well as a Swarthmore College soccer t-shirt donated by the team.

“Our team has enjoyed our interactions with Chester Upland Youth Soccer, and appreciated the opportunity to be their role models for the day for both academics and athletics,” commented Swarthmore Head Coach Todd Anckaitis.

The event was generously sponsored by Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer Association, who encourages their member clubs to give younger players exposure to college level play through their “See It, Be It” initiative.

JT Dorsey, Grassroots Soccer Manager for Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer  explained, "EPYSA seeks to inspire, motivate, and support all youth, but especially the youth who live in under-resourced communities. With support from the US Soccer's Innovate to Grow Fund, we will add caring adults to the lives of young children aspiring to make change. Getting youth to see positive things outside of their neighborhoods is one way to help break the negative cycle that plagues some families for generations. We believe if you can see something different, then you can be something different. The See It, Be It program presents inspiring possibilities and life experiences that we hope participating families will always remember."

CUYS looks forward to continuing this important work and interacting with other college teams in the future. Anyone interested in helping can contact jeannine@chesteruplandyouthsoccer.org or register to volunteer at https://cuys.org/donate