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Overcast and Breezy Cyclones seek offensive spark
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Senior Dan Alles anchors South Side's defense from the sweeper
position.
Bill Kelly/Herald
South Side might have the least amount of experience among Nassau Conference ABC-I boys’ soccer teams, but expectations remain high.
“Our goal is to win the last game we play,” said second-year coach Fred Paul, who in Monday’s 2-0 loss to Garden City used his fourth different starting lineup in as many games. “We’re young, but we’ve given a better performance each time we’ve stepped on the field.”
Scoring was a problem for the Cyclones last year when they finished 3-5-4 in regular-season play and were blanked by North Shore in a Class A first-round playoff game. The offense hasn’t clicked as of yet, producing just one goal in a 0-2-2 start, but Paul is optimistic it’ll come around. “We’ll continue to experiment with different combinations,” he said.
The move of junior Mike Marano from marking back to forward should eventually pay off. He’s dangerous with and without the ball. Junior Alexei Lesko and freshman Kyle Morrisey have gotten the majority of minutes alongside Marano. Sophomore Kevin Cook, who paced the offense in 2008 with three goals, is working at center-midfield along with talented freshman Mark Romanowski. Two other midfielders hooked up for South Side’s first goal of the season in a 1-1 tie with Mineola on Sept. 16, with senior Mike Pirozzi setting up sophomore Chris Harkins. Junior Ben Tetelman is another midfielder with lots of tools.
The defensive side of the field is anchored by senior sweeper Dan Alles, a three-year starter and second-year captain. “He’s our rock back there,” Paul said. “He’s a solid and smart player.” With Cook moving to midfield and junior Jeff Cohen starting at stopper, the Cyclones are counting on senior Greg Cove and junior Alex Norwood to get the job done at fullback.
Like the defense, senior goalkeeper Paul Casazza is off to a promising start with 23 saves and a shutout. “He’s a leader who practices and plays hard,” Paul said.
South Side will be put to the test on Tuesday when defending Class A champion Jericho visits for a 4:30 p.m. start at Skelos Sports Complex.
Comments about this story? TBellissimo @liherald.com or (516) 569-4000, ext. 204.
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