PLAYOFFS: Cyclones Next Stop — County Championship

South Side's semifinal playoff game against Island Trees on Friday was everything one would expect from a N0. 2 versus No. 3 matchup with a chance to play in the Class A Nassau County championship on the line. Hard-nosed defense by both clubs dominated the game, but it was the Cyclones who broke through with two late goals in the second half to lift South Side over Island Trees 2-0, sending the Cyclones to the Class A finals.

The Cyclones began the game firing on all cylinders with seniors Alexei Lesko, Mike Marano and sophomore Mark Romanowski putting shots on goal within the game's first ten minutes. But after Island Tress quelled South Side's initial scoring barrage, the tables began to turn on the Cyclones.

Sloppy play plagued South Side in the latter portion of the first half, and Island Trees took advantage. Turnovers and shoddy passing handed the ball to Island Trees in South Side territory, and the Bulldogs fired two shots on goal in the last ten minutes of the first half. However, goalie Deven Khosla made two great saves to preserve the scoreless tie going into the second stanza.

"I told them, 'Let's play South Side soccer,'" Head Coach Fred Paul said after his team's sloppy first half. "Hard-nosed defense and apply pressure. We're a hungry team."

The Cyclones came out for the second half looking rejuvenated. Just ten minutes in, senior Ben Tetelman laced a beautiful pass to co-captain Mike Marano who buried a header with 30:48 left to give South Side a 1-0 advantage. It was as if the Cyclones smelled blood in the water, as their defensive intensity magnified after the goal and they began creating more scoring opportunities. 

"Ben made that happen," Marano said of his goal. "He put it out there and all I had to do was jump."

Inserting sophomore Kyle Morrissey into the game, who sat the first half with an injury, strengthened South Side's defense, Paul said. "Number 23," Paul said of the difference between the team's first and second half. "When he came in, the game changed, and everyone played with more aggression."

No more than ten minutes later, junior Kevin Cook hit a perfect cross to Lesko, who easily put the ball in the back of the net for a 2-0 South Side lead. Coach Paul said that one won't see many passes like Cook's at this level of play. "Cook used his speed up the line, which allowed for the cutback," Paul said. "That's one of the nicest goals you'll see in high school soccer."

South Side continued to pepper shots on goal, finishing with 16 shots compared to Island Trees' six. After playing a sub-par first half, Marano said he spoke to his teammates on the importance of finishing what they started at the beginning of the season.

"I said that this was our last game if we didn't step it up," Marano said to his teammates at the half. "We didn't want to go home. This is our season."

South Side plays No. 4 Wantagh on Wednesday at Hofstra at 7:30 p.m. for the county championship.