South Side booted in first round

A sudden swing of momentum doomed South Side in a first-round playoff exit to Island Trees last Saturday night in the Nassau Class A boys’ soccer tournament.

The Cyclones were storming the Island Trees side of the field for much of the first half and appeared headed for an early lead after drawing a penalty kick opportunity 18:45 into the match. Bulldogs goalkeeper Anthony Ruggiero made a clutch save however to keep the game scoreless and moments later Island Trees seized control striking for two quick goals 5:20 apart en route to a 3-0 win.

“Sometimes the ball just doesn’t bounce the way you want it and you have to give credit to the other team,” South Side coach Fred Paul said. “It wasn’t for lack of effort on our part.”

 The loss to seventh-seeded Island Trees in Levittown ends South Side’s season at 6-2-6 overall a year removed from reaching the Class A finals. Island Trees advanced to the quarterfinal round against No. 15 Hewlett, which upset previously unbeaten Plainedge.

South Side generated numerous scoring opportunities after falling behind, but was unable to finish on Ruggiero, who finished with eight saves. The Cyclones hit the post in the early stages of the second half and later had quality free kick chances by junior Matteo Romanello and sophomore Nicholas Giganti. Eric Uzzo iced the game for Island Trees on a goal with 3:06 left that made it 3-0.

Coach Paul said he was proud of his team battled until the end just as it did throughout the 2017 campaign. Despite facing multiple injuries, the Cyclones went unbeaten in their first eight matches and finished near the top of the Conference A1 standings with a 5-1-6 league mark.

“We have fought all adversity all season,” Paul said. “We haven’t played one game with our original starting lineup, but it didn’t matter and the kids just fought and worked hard.”

South Side boasted a strong defense this fall that produced five shutouts. The backline stepped up in key spots against Island Trees to keep the match within striking distance including Mike McGovern knocking a kick out of bounds with 14 minutes left when the net was empty. Sophomore goalie Danny Kelleher also did his best to kept South Side in the match with four saves including a point-blank stop with 28 minutes remaining.

“He’s a great player,” Paul said of Kelleher. “Luckily he’s got a couple years left.”

The Island Trees defeat closed the South Side career of seniors Gavin Bigelow, James Kesicier, Harry Ludwig, McGovern, Kieran Mooney, Will Speechley and Matt Trencheny. The team was full of emotion after the final horn sounded and Paul said the senior class would always hold a special place in his heart.

“It’s a special group and the worst part of any season is right now, not because of the loss but because you see guys take the uniform off for the last time,” he said. “I’m proud of the effort that these guys gave me and that is all you really can ask for.”