Brentwood Youth Teams Attend, Experience Collegiate Game

Players and families associated with the Brentwood Soccer Club RUSH visited the campus of SUNY Old Westbury on Saturday, September 16, to participate in activities surrounding the Panther Women's soccer game against Lehman College.

The Brentwood RUSH Boy's U10 and U14 teams were brought to campus through the work of Head Coach Betty Bohringer and a former Old Westbury player, Shauna Henderson, who serves as the registrar for the Brentwood Soccer Club and coaches teams from the club.

"Our program demands excellence from our student-athletes both on the field of competition and in service to their communities," said Bohringer. "Welcoming these young players and their families and being able to interact with them was a great way for our players to show what being a college athlete is like."

The Brentwood players participated in the introductory "walk-out" of the players from both SUNY Old Westbury and Lehman and played an exhibition game during halftime of the Old Westbury Panthers' 7-0 victory over the Lightning. The U14 players also worked as part of the sideline operations crew during the game.

This visit was the first of its kind since before the COVID-19 pandemic. During her time as a Panther athlete, Henderson also arranged for visits from the Brentwood Soccer Club. She was a member of the Panther women's soccer team from 2017-2019.

"Our goal is to show these young people what a college campus is like through their love of soccer in the hopes that we might be able to also show them college is an achievable dream for them," said Bohringer.

The Panther Women's Soccer team is one of 12 teams competing at the NCAA Division III level at SUNY Old Westbury. For more information about the campus' athletics program, visit the Old Westbury Panthers Athletics website at www.oldwestburypanthers.com.