Balance the key for South Side

A strong offense keyed by senior attack Samantha Morin's 40 goals and junior midfielder Jackie Cifarelli's 68 points (31 goals, 37 assists) and a strong campaign by junior goalie Kelsey Gregerson helped third-seeded South Side (6-10 overall) advance to the semifinal round of the Nassau Class B girls' lacrosse playoffs, where it dropped a 17-7 decision to No. 2 Wantagh on May 26.

"Last year's experience and this year's experience are going to help in the future," South Side coach Meaghan Healey said of her team which graduates five seniors but returns a strong nucleus that includes Gregerson, a two-time All-County selection, and Cifarelli, an Honorable Mention All-County honoree. "We played tough teams and I think they understand what has to get done. [We hope] the returning players will be able to bring [the experience] into next season."

While the Lady Warriors simply overpowered South Side offensively, their own defense had difficulty in containing the Lady Cyclones' top threats. Morin, a four-time All-County honoree,capped her career with a school-record 192 goals in four seasons and scored three goals despite constant pressure. "She's strong and goes right down to the goal with no problem," Healey said. "Wantagh flooded her and we worked on setting picks to get her open. They face-guarded her and she earned every goal she got."

Attack Emily Considine added three scores with an assist in the defeat, and after missing the first half of the season due to injury, the junior saved some of her best games for last, scoring five goals in South Side's first-round playoff win, a 13-8 decision over No. 6 Division on May 20. Cifarelli added a pair of goals and three assists. "By the time we got to the playoffs [Considine] had warmed up and was ready to go," Healey said. "She peaked."

Gregerson in particular, turned in perhaps one of her best games of the season, even if the final score against the Lady Warriors would seem to indicate the opposite. She stopped 18 of the 35 shots fired at her, a high-end total for any lacrosse game at any level, and ended the season with 173 saves in 16 games, playing the entire campaign as the only goalie on the roster.

"She was it so there was a lot of pressure on her and we expected a lot," Healey said of her aggressive netminder. "She was awesome. Win or lose, she kept us in every game. She's very active and has no fear about coming out [of net] and being part of the game."

Junior defender Dana Ahern, the backbone of the group in front of Gregerson, and senior midfielders Kara Stanley and Emma Kriss all earned All-Conference honors. "It's very hard sometimes to get defensive [players] awards," Healey said, noting the lack of statistics available to use as a barometer and the accomplishment for Ahern.