Lincoln-Way Soccer Players Raise Monday For Breast Cancer Awareness

From the Lincoln-Way High School District:

The Lincoln-Way District 210 boys’ soccer program presented a donation to Silver Cross Hospital during halftime at a Lincoln-Way North basketball game. this week at Lincoln-Way North.

The four Lincoln-Way high schools: Lincoln-Way Central, Lincoln-Way East, Lincoln-Way North and Lincoln-Way West boys’ soccer programs raised $4,600 last fall for the purpose of contributing to breast cancer awareness and helping to find a cure for cancer.

"It is a great feeling to give back to the community," said Michael Murphy, the head varsity soccer coach for Lincoln-Way North High School.

"This game was a great avenue to teach our athletes that there is something more to fight other than a win or a loss," Murphy said. "As coaches, we stress sportsmanship and making the correct decisions on and off the field. This game reinforced the true principals of interscholastic sports.”

This is the fifth year the North and West teams have held a fundraiser for cancer awareness during their season. The first three years were for prostate cancer awareness. This is the first year that all four Lincoln-Way high school soccer programs joined together to raise money for breast cancer awareness.

Last fall during soccer season, the four high school coaches got together and held contest games to raise money for breast cancer awareness. The players sold T-shirts, held raffles, and asked for donations as the four high schools played each other in a tournament.

“The atmosphere at the game was excellent and overall, the evening was a great success," said Lincoln-Way West varsity soccer coach Jeff Theiss.

"Every year our parents and athletes raise the bar in creating a special event for our community," Theiss said. "It is always such a great experience to see the athletes battling on the field, but also maintaining such a high level of integrity and sportsmanship by understanding that there are bigger issues that go beyond the game of soccer.”

Soccer players attending the presentation and representing their teams at the Lincoln-Way North game were: Cole Senesac, JT Schmitt, Ian McGrath, Tony Prospero, Kevin Staniszewski, Conor Hughes, Alan Hernandez and Osvaldo Salazar.

Upon accepting the donation, Larry Johnson, vice-president of the Silver Cross Foundation, said, “The Lincoln-Way community is very proud of the young men who play for East, West, Central, and North soccer teams for their efforts to give back to the community. The cancer patients at Silver Cross are grateful for the support shown by these young men.”

“I think it is an awesome lesson for our kids to learn that even in the spirit of competition, we can all come together for a great cause and help make a difference,” said Lincoln-Way Central head varsity soccer coach Sean Fahey.

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