Three South Side Cyclones sports teams made the playoff for the fall 2012 season, and all three put together very impressive runs.
It may have been tough to keep track over the last week, so here's a roundup of how all three teams fared:
- South Side Cyclones Boys Soccer
The eighth-seeded Cyclones started their playoff run with an opening-round win over ninth-seeded West Hempstead, 3-2, at Skelos Field.
After nearly two weeks off the field due to Hurricane Sandy and the nor'easter that followed, South Side another close win at Skelos Field in the quarterfinals -- a 2-1 victory over No. 16 Roslyn.
Two days later, the boys easily knocked out the fourth-seeded Hewlett Bulldogs with a 3-0 win at Adelphi, setting up a Nassau Class A finals matchup against defending state champion Jericho.
No. 2 Jericho had only lost one game coming into the playoffs, a 1-0 loss to South Side back in October. The Cyclones played hard and pushed the Jayhawks to the limit, but eventually fell in the final minute of the first overtime period, 1-0.
- South Side Lady Cyclones Girls Volleyball
It was a memorable season for the Lady Cyclones. After cruising into the county finals with wins over Lynbrook and Long Beach, South Side set up a much anticipated rematch with the top-seeded Wantagh Lady Warriors for the Nassau championship.
In the finals, the girls did something they hadn't done in two season: they beat Wantagh. In stunning fashion, the Lady Cyclones handed the Lady Warriors a 3-1 loss and avenged last year's county championship loss to grab the 2012 Nassau Class A title.
The victory against Wantagh set up a Long Island Class A championship match against the two-time defending champion Kings Park Lady Kingsmen. Kings Park swept the Lady Cyclones, but head coach Cheryl Scalice said she couldn't have been happier with the way her team played. These girls are a nice, hard working group of girls and I’m not the slightest bit disappointed at all.”
- South Side Lady Cyclones Girls Soccer
After defeating No. 16 Mineola 6-0 in the first round before Hurricane Sandy, the Lady Cyclones returned from the natural disaster without missing a beat, knocking off No. 8 Wantagh 5-0 on the strength of a Keri Cavallo hat trick and No. 4 Plainedge 3-0 behind two assists from Kelsey Ford.
South Side trailed for the first time this season in the Nassau County Class a championship against No. 2 Garden City, but late goals from Stephanie Leonardo and Katie Ford led the Lady Cyclones to a 2-1 victory and shot them into a rematch against Islip for the Long Island title.
The Lady Cyclones' flare for the dramatic continued into the Long Island Class A championship, as the girls needed penalty kicks to defeat Suffolk champion Islip. Goalie Sarah McCarthy made two big saves as South Side took the PKs 3-2 and defeated Islip 1-0 for the team's second consecutive and 24th overall LI title.
South Side, the defending state champions, will now play for the New York State title this weekend in Cortland. The team's first game is Saturday at 5 p.m.
