Second-half fireworks for South Side

South Side remained unbeaten and took the first step towards a repeat county championship with a second half offensive explosion against Roslyn in the first round of the Nassau County Class A boys soccer playoffs last Friday night.

After a scoreless first half in a rematch of last year’s Class A title match, fourth-seeded South Side (10-0-5) struck for four goals in the game’s final 29 minutes to punch its ticket to the second round with a 4-0 triumph. Junior forward Ryan Prendergast scored off a rebound off his own shot just over 10 minutes into the second half for his first of three tallies on the evening to open the floodgates.

“That first goal allowed the kids to relax a little bit,” South Side coach Fred Paul said after his team’s win under the lights at Skelos Field. “We were kind of tight in the first half and didn’t allow our players to be creative because we were all on top of each other.”

Prendergast gave South Side some breathing room with 12:25 left when he fired home a low shot to the right corner. Freshman forward Joe Buglione then provided added insurance by scoring off a steal before Prendergast completing his hat trick in the game’s final moments.

Connor Byrne and Connor Gallego both tallied assists in the Cyclones’ second half offensive outbreak. Prendergast’s three-goal outburst tied him with senior Matt Di Luccio for the team lead in goals at six, but Paul said statistics have meant little to the team during the unbeaten run.

“They don’t really care who scores the goals,” Paul said. “It is a team effort.”

South Side’s roster is dominated by upperclassmen, but Buglione has emerged as offensive threat as just a freshman and now has three goals to go along with two assists on the season. He is part of a talented forward trio with Prendergast and Byrne that gives South Side depth up front.

“We have three very talented forwards between Connor, Joe and Ryan,” Paul said. “They each bring different things to the table.”

Defensively, South Side has been strong all season led by senior Josh Levine in net. Levine, who helped lead it to the county title last year as the No. 13 seed, recorded his seventh shutout of the season on three saves including a key stop with 26 minutes on a line drive shot to keep the Cyclones in the lead. The veteran net-minder also struck some powerful free kicks from midfield that created offensive chances.

“He is about as good as it gets,” Paul said of his senior keeper, who has 54 saves on the season and one assist. “We’re very fortunate to have him back there.”

The first-round win advanced South Side to a quarterfinal game against fifth-seeded Valley Stream South. The winner advances to the Class A semifinals this Friday at 5 p.m. at Farmingdale College against the winner of Garden City-Jericho quarterfinal matchup.