Competition tough on Lady Cyclones

After capturing the Conference II title last spring and the Conference III crown the previous season, South Side is having a rough time in the highest-ability conference in Nassau girls’ lacrosse.

“The results have been disappointing, but the girls are playing their hearts out and I’m certainly proud of them,” Lady Cyclones coach Meaghan Healey said after an 8-5 loss to Massapequa at Skelos Sports Complex on April 28. “It’s probably the best game we’ve ever played against Massapequa. I’m happy we held them to eight goals. The defense and Kelsey [Gregerson] played great, but we weren’t as aggressive on offense as they were.”

Danielle Doherty had five goals and two assists to pace the offense for Massapequa, which amassed 20 shots on goal on the way to upping its record to 5-6. Gregerson, a junior All-County goaltender, made 12 saves. South Side (3-7) was led offensively by senior Sam Morin, who scored a pair of goals, and junior Emily Considine’s goal and two assists.

“Looking at the teams they’ve beaten and lost to, they’re about equal to us,” Healey said of Massapequa. “We’ve played a lot of teams tough. I felt we could’ve come out winners in one or two of the close games.”

It was the second three-goal setback for the Lady Cyclones, who have also suffered a pair of one-goal defeats, including one in overtime to Cold Spring Harbor. Sacred Heart beat South Side, 11-10, in a non-league matchup on April 24, getting the game winner off the stick of Nina Corcoran with 34 seconds remaining.  

“We’ve built a friendly rivalry with Sacred Heart over the years,” Healey said. “They always have some kids from Rockville Centre. Just like Massapequa, we played them tougher than we ever have but we weren’t able to get the win.”

South Side led 4-2 at halftime and held an 8-4 advantage in the second half. Morin had three goals, junior Jackie Cifarelli recorded two goals and four assists, senior Cara Stanley scored twice, and Considine had three assists. Gregerson made 15 saves.