Influx of youth at South Side

Coming off its fifth appearance in the Nassau Class A boys’ soccer title game in six years, South Side will try to remain one of the county’s premier programs while undergoing a youth movement.

The Cyclones, who graduated eight key contributors from a squad which made an impressive run to the Class A final as the No. 10 seed before falling to Glen Cove, field a roster that includes a dozen juniors and five sophomores.

“We’ve got as young a team as I’ve ever coached,” South Side coach Fred Paul said. “It’s a group with a lot of talent and potential for sure. We’re looking to compete and be the best we can be.”

The area where the Cyclones (11-4-4 overall in 2016) have the most work to do is in the back, with three new defensive starters, the lone returnee learning a new position, and a new goalkeeper. The group looked solid in its tune-up for the Conference A-I schedule, leading a 1-0 non-league home victory over Baldwin on Labor Day morning.

Senior Kieran Mooney is making what the coach said is a huge transition from outside back to stopper and will get a difficult assignment every game having to keep tabs of the opposing attacking midfielder. “It’s such an important role in our scheme,” Paul said. “Kieran is a confident player and we’re confident he’ll do a good job.”

Junior Dylan Chruma was promoted to varsity midway through last season and is ready to assume the starting sweeper role, the coach said. “Dylan reads the game well and makes smart decisions,” Paul noted. At fullback, junior Sean Hurwitz and sophomore Nick Giganti are stepping up from the JV ranks. Giganti’s skill set makes him a candidate to see some time as an outside midfielder. “Sean is strong on the ball and plays a physical game,” Paul explained. “Nick is just a pure soccer player. He’s talented with the ball.”

South Side’s reputation of boasting a topnotch goalkeeper goes back nearly a decade. Sophomore Danny Kelleher, who posted a shutout against Baldwin in his first varsity game and made nine saves, and junior Shane Healey, will look to continue the trend. Paul said Kelleher’s distribution abilities can get the Cyclones into counter-attack mode quickly, while Healey has shown vast improvement from a year ago. “I’ve got confidence in both of them,” Paul said.

There’s depth and senior leadership in the midfield. Paul said senior Michael McGovern hasn’t scratched the surface of the level he’ll be playing at by the end of the year. He’s a holding midfielder and one of the team’s workhorses. Seniors Harry Ludwig and Will Speechley are being counted on to lead the effort on the outside, while the chemistry between sophomore Rob Reis and junior Matteo Romanello is something Paul believes will lead to some goals. 

Up front, junior All-Conference selection Joe Buglione brings a high motor and puts pressure on defenders, and junior Mesha Redzematovic is a legitimate scoring threat.

The Cyclones visit MacArthur on Friday at 4:30 p.m.