STONY BROOK, N.Y. – The Stony Brook women’s soccer team welcomed its newest member on Friday afternoon with the signing of five year-old Rylie Laber from Seldon, New York.
“We are very excited to add Rylie to our team and program today,” said head coach Brendan Faherty. “When recruiting, we are looking for certain attributes in players and Rylie displays all of them. She is hard-working, competitive, passionate about soccer, outgoing and likes to have fun. When building our program, those are the adjectives we want associated with our student-athletes.
“The two things that really separate Rylie from others is her laugh and her ability to score goals. We are very fortunate that we will be able to hear her laugh and watch her score goals on a regular basis with Stony Brook women’s soccer.”
The Seawolves connected with Rylie through Team Impact. The organization’s mission is to improve the quality of life for children facing life-threatening and chronic illnesses by establishing and expanding vibrant team-based support networks.
Rylie suffers from Shwachman’s Diamond Syndrome, a rare genetic syndrome which primarily affects the bone marrow and digestive system. The disease makes Rylie more prone to catching colds and infections and makes it difficult for her to digest food.
Rylie joined the Stony Brook women’s soccer team in late September, bringing with her an unmatched exuberance, energy and positive attitude. She attends as many practices as possible and has been on the Stony Brook bench for every home match since first connecting with the team.
Since her arrival, the Seawolves have rattled off six straight wins and sit in first place in the America East standings with one game remaining in the regular season.
Rylie will wear the number #05 at the team’s remaining home matches as the Seawolves head into the America East playoffs.
http://stonybrookathletics.com/news/2016/10/21/stony-brook-welcomes-rylie-to-the-womens-soccer-program.aspx
