South Side's building momentum

South Side ran its unbeaten streak to four games and its shutout streak to three with a 1-0 victory over visiting North Shore in a Conference A-II boys’ soccer matchup on Sept. 29.

The Cyclones, who sent 13 shots on goal, broke through midway through the first half when senior Thomas Doyle converted a pass from senior Charles Silecchia for the game’s only goal. Senior keeper Jake Camarillo made three saves for his third straight shutout and fourth of the year, while counterpart Hayden Scala made a dozen stops for the Vikings.

“We’re not a perfect team by any means,” South Side coach Fred Paul said. “I’m most happy with our defense, but we’re still looking to string together a full 80 minutes. We need to improve our finishing and I think it’s only a matter of time before some guys break out and score some goals.”

Doyle’s goal, his third of the year, was the result of great execution. The play started with a throw-in by Silecchia, who got the ball right back on a touch pass from senior Ryan Prendergast. Silecchia then sent a cross to Doyle, who slid a low shot into the corner from 12 yards out. “It was a really nice goal,” Paul said. “We played a strong first half and created a lot of chances. North Shore put the pressure on in the second half and hit the post late.”

Getting a shot past Camarillo has been almost impossible over the four-game unbeaten streak that has the Cyclones at 4-2-2 (5-2-3 overall) and in the upper half of the A-II standings. He allowed one goal against Valley Stream North on Sept. 22, and none in 240 minutes since. “Jake’s getting better and better,” Paul said. “He had big shoes to fill and I’m proud of how he’s been playing.”

Outside of a 10-minute stretch, Paul said he was pleased with South Side’s performance in a 2-0 victory at Lynbrook on Sept. 27. Prendergast notched his team-high fourth goal of the season, and senior Patrick Basile added a goal and an assist. Camarillo made seven saves. “We did some very nice teams against a solid Lynbrook team with some dangerous players,” Paul said. “We’re in the middle of a demanding schedule, so it’s not easy to stay focused and sharp for 80 minutes but we’re trying to get there.”

Basile, who was injured and limited to only 15 minutes on the field in the Cyclones’ 3-2 loss to Lawrence on Sept. 20, returned two days later against Valley Stream North and assisted on one of South Side’s five goals while leading the defense along with senior Connor Gallego and junior Kieran Mooney. Predergast had a hat trick against North.

“We didn’t do anything different against North,” Paul said. “The ball just found the back of the net that day. We’re looking for more of that.”