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For Maria Lanyi and Amy Steele, seniors on the Northeastern women's soccer team, making an impact on the field was simply not enough. It was never a matter of winning; both players helped the Huskies claim the 2013 CAA championship and a bid in the NCAA Tournament. For Lanyi and Steele, it was about leaving a legacy that spoke louder than trophies or rings–the legacy of improving the lives of others.

It all started in 2012 when Lanyi, then a sophomore, felt the urge to put her background in community service into action. But as many student-athletes will tell you, it's not always easy to find time for extra activities. On a daily basis, student-athletes must strike a delicate balance between coursework and the added responsibilities of practice, mandatory workouts, team meetings and games. In Lanyi's case, majoring in Behavioral Neuroscience placed a strain on her schedule that made it difficult to quench her thirst for volunteer work.

"I wanted to give back, but I found it hard to find the time with such a rigorous schedule," Lanyi explained. "That's when I had the idea to combine charity work with my everyday activities as a student-athlete."

Lanyi started the ball rolling in 2013 by planning an event for the Ronald McDonald House at one of the team's home matches. In pulling together her passion for service and her love for soccer, Lanyi was able to raise over $2,000, despite very little time in planning the initiative. Lanyi knew then that she was onto something big, so she enlisted the help of Steele, a teammate who also had a background in service, to help take the idea to the next level.

"After that first event, Maria saw how much of an impact we could have, even with such little time to plan," Steele said. "We realized that we could do something much bigger if we really put our minds to it. So we came up with an idea for something that could translate to every sport, not just soccer."

The result was 'Score to Cure', a charitable endeavor created by Lanyi and Steele that aims to leverage the popularity of college sports to host charitable fundraising events at games. According to Steele, the name was chosen because "you can score in almost any sport, so it can apply to just about anything."

After choosing the name, the pair still had to decide what cause the charity would support. Lanyi and Steele had already partnered (successfully) with the Brookline-based Ronald McDonald House, which serves as a "home-away-from-home" for children with cancer and their families. At the end of the day, the experience helped Lanyi and Steele make a final decision.

"We thought carefully about where we wanted to the proceeds of Score to Cure to go," Steele explained. "But we kept wondering, what if this spreads outside of Northeastern, outside of Boston? We wanted to choose an organization that would be easily accessible for student-athletes at other schools, too. That's why we chose St. Jude's."

A non-profit charity founded in 1962, St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital provides all its medical services for free. Through philanthropic aid from private donors and foundations like Score to Cure, St. Jude's is able to provide state-of-the-art care to families without the financial burden that is often associated with medical costs. St. Jude's also works with organizations like the Ronald McDonald House to provide long-term housing for patients, with no further cost to the family.

"We thought St. Jude's was a great choice because of its model of providing free services to children in need," Steele said. "Athletes who get involved with Score to Cure can use their ability on the field to make a difference in the game of life as well, which is how we came up with our slogan 'Be the Difference: Score to Cure'."

Lanyi and Steele hope to work toward gaining non-profit status for the foundation, but for now the pair is primarily concerned with getting the project off the ground by raising awareness and funds for a good cause.

"As young athletes, we can make a huge impact in other lives if we take the time to use our influence for positive causes," Lanyi said.  "Our main goal moving forward is to expand the initiative and touch as many lives as possible. Even after we leave Northeastern, we hope it can continue to grow beyond the school and throughout the whole CAA."

The pair has already set out to grow the initiative at two upcoming home games. Prior to the Oct. 5 women's soccer game at Parsons Field (Alumni Day), the Huskies will host a Score to Cure event with soccer-related games for children and an appearance from Northeastern's mascot, Paws. Special Score to Cure bracelets will also be sold with all proceeds going to the charity, and at halftime, the marketing team will be on hand with promotions and giveaways for students in attendance. 

Score to Cure will also host an event at UNO Pizzeria & Grill on Huntington Ave. prior to the Nov. 8 men's hockey game vs. UMass Lowell. Coupons will be handed out as part of UNO's Dough Raisers campaign, which will donate 20-percent of customers' checks to Score to Cure. Fans are encouraged to come to the restaurant in the hours preceding the game to support the cause.

"This is something that's really important to both Maria and me," Steele said. "Service is deeply rooted in who we are as individuals. We want to do more than just live in the community; we want to make it better."

For more information about Score to Cure, visit the official website, ScoreToCure.org.