BY Ebenezer Samuel
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Brianna Paulino was on the verge of tears.

Just moments earlier, the 10-year-old had been beaming after leading her team to the Play Rugby exhibition flag tournament title at the Henry Street Settlement's Boys & Girls Republic in Manhattan.

She was strutting around, wearing her championship t-shirt proudly; she'd earned MVP honors after scoring in every game in the four-team round-robin tournament last Tuesday.

"I love rugby," she told anybody who would listen. "It's soooo much fun."

Washington, D.C. – New York City rugby coach and former USA national team player Lisa Lake has been named a Coach of the Year as the third-place winner of the national Play it Forward contest. Sponsored by Up2Us, the leading national coalition of youth sports organizations, and Youth Noise, a social networking website for young people, the Play it Forward contest invited current and former youth athletes to nominate coaches who have had an effect on their lives. Entries were posted at: http://www.youthnoise.com/playcity/playitforward and winners were voted on and selected online.

His expertise includes goalkicking, general play kicking, kickoffs, dropkicks, etc. The clinic will be both hands on, as well as assisting with technical correction including video footage and one on one player anaylsis.

Those interested in attending the clinic can contact Matt at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Met NY proudly hosted the 2009 National All Star 7s Tournament for Men and Women. The event took place on Saturday August 29 and Sunday August 30 at Randall's Island's new rugby-lined fields. Top players from every territorial Union in the country vied for the championship with the Northeast Women and West Men finishing on top. Further details can be found at: http://newyorkallstarsevens.org/