Soccer star receives scholarship, state honor

They flocked into the library at the David A. Stein Riverdale/Kingsbridge Academy (M.S/H.S. 141, RKA) last week to witness a little school history. Family and friends, teammates and teachers, even a few local politicians were on hand as Samantha Rosette, the greatest soccer player in school history and one of the finest the city has ever seen, made it official and signed her National Letter of Intent to attend the University of Virginia beginning next fall.

It was a ceremony that capped a magnificent season for Rosette, who not only led RKA to the PSAL City title game for the first time in school history, but also led New York State in scoring with 49 goals this past season. In her final two seasons with the Tigers, Rosette netted a mind-boggling 85 goals.  

“I just want to thank my teammates for giving me a wonderful four years here,” Rosette said from a podium where she was flanked by her mother, Kim Johnson, and father, Scott Rosette. “I want to thank my family for constantly being there to support me and no matter how far the drive was, they always came. I want to thank [RKA] coach [Julienne] Krause for allowing me to flourish throughout my four years here and for giving me the opportunity to captain the team for two years. And I want to thank the school for giving me a place to call home. Oh, and I also want to thank [state Sen. Jeff Klein] for this. It’s unbelievable.”

Yes, the biggest surprise of the morning came when Klein announced that he was proclaiming a day in honor of the RKA soccer star.

“One of the great things I get to do as one of the co-leaders of the New York State Senate is proclaim days,” Klein said. “So today, February 3, 2016, all over the state of New York is Samantha Rosette Day.”

This time, after a season in which she left opponents dumbfounded with her athletic prowess, it was Rosette who was left stunned by the announcement.

“That was pretty incredible. I’m feeling the love,” Rosette said afterward. “I had no idea. It’s a total surprise.”