Brennan, Mitzel to Be Formally Honored at NJYS Awards Dinner
New Jersey Youth Soccer will be hosting its 30th Annual Awards Dinner tonight, where it will honor many players, coaches and members of the soccer community. Two of those honorees will be Brianna Brennan and Ryan Mitzel, who have been selected as the 2017 NJYS Youth Referees of the Year.
Brennan credits her love of soccer to one of her first coaches, Bea Marx, and that passion grew even further while she was playing for the Marlton Shockers. There, she learned under the tutelage of current New Jersey ODP Technical Director James Galanis and Socrates Nicolaides, who now operates Matchfit Australia. The two coaches encouraged her to become a student of the game, which helped in the development of her technical skills and tactical awareness. She also received encouragement from her club coaches to try-out for New Jersey ODP in the sixth grade, and she played in the program for the following six years.
As a member of the Matchfit Dolphins, Brennan helped her team win a Super Y-League national championship. She also played varsity soccer at Holy Cross High School and earned an athletic scholarship to Northeastern University in 2007. She eventually finished her soccer career at The College of New Jersey in 2010.
Brennan began officiating five years ago in the Northern Counties Soccer Association (NCSA) under the guidance of Ed Seavers and Carl Dietze. This past year, she was selected to officiate in the NCSA Spring Cup as well as the NJYS Commissioner’s Cup.
“I am honored to receive this award,” Brennan stated. “By being a referee, I love that I am still able to be involved in a sport that I enjoyed playing for many years.”
Mitzel has been a soccer referee for 10 years and was a player for 20 years. The New Jersey native suited-up for NJYS clubs Voorhees Soccer Association, Cherry Hill FC and Glassboro Elite, and he also played high school soccer for Paul VI where he was the captain during his senior year.
After high school graduation, Mitzel became a starting defender at Wells College under head coach Dan Kane. Wells College soon reached its conference finals in 2015 behind a defense that was ranked in the Top 10 nationally. While in college, Mitzel also played for the South Jersey Elite Barons U-23 Team and worked as an assistant coach at his alma mater for one year. Since obtaining his undergraduate degree in Environmental Science from Wells College, Mitzel has begun working on his Masters Degree in Sustainable Energy Systems at SUNY Cortland.
As a referee, Mitzel began at the recreation level and has since officiated NJYS State Cup competitions and USSF regional events. In addition to his passion for soccer, he also enjoys rock climbing, skiing and surfing.
“My journey has taken me from an apprehensive kid on a U-8 game to being confident with games involving the highest age levels that youth soccer has to offer,” Mitzel stated. “Refereeing has allowed me to stay connected to the game I love as my competitive playing career has come to an end.”
Each year, the NJYS Youth Referee of the Year Award recognizes outstanding overall officiating performance, strong individual work ethic and dedication to the promotion of fair play and good sportsmanship by players, coaches and fans.
To find out more about NJ Youth Soccer or to contact us directly, please email communications@njyouthsoccer.com. Also make sure to follow us on social media: @NJYouthSoccer
