Cyclones Tie Baldwin in Season Opener, 1-1

South Side High School's boys' varsity soccer team does its best to adhere to one simple concept: defense first. But it was the offense that couldn't muster more than a goal in yesterday's season opener against Baldwin at the Dean Skelos Sports Complex, ending in a 1-1 tie.

The first half of its match against Baldwin wasn't exactly typical South Side-style soccer, Coach Fred Paul noted, but Cyclones junior Chris Harkins scored with under 29 minutes remaining in the first half to give South Side a 1-0 lead.

The Cyclones trademark impenetrable defense, however, surrendered a goal at the 5:55 mark of the first half, knotting the score at 1. The defense clamped down in the second half,  but the Cyclones were unable to overcome their lackluster offensive first half, failing to find the back of the net and ending the game in a 1-1 tie.

"It took us a while to get into a rhythm," Paul lamented.  "I thought, in the first half, we played lackadaisical defense. We were just kind of kicking the ball back and forth.  It didn't allow us to build anything.  "Second half, we played well. We had our chances, but our defense played well."

Nevertheless, Paul said he was pleased with the way his boys made defensive adjustments in the second half, which permitted them to attack the goal more often and aggressively.

"We had some good chances in the second half," he said.  "I thought we outplayed them there, but it all started with the defense. The defense played better in the second half. It allowed us to play our game offensively."

The Cyclones travel to North Shore in a non-league game today at 4:30 pm.