South Side again a force

In a rematch of last year’s Nassau Class A girls’ soccer championship game, South Side found the net twice in a short span midway through the first half and went on to a 3-0 victory over Division in the Conference A-I opener for both teams at Skelos Sports Complex on Sept. 11.

Junior Christina Klaum, who was instrumental in the Lady Cyclones’ run to the New York State title last fall with 11 of her 19 goals coming in the playoffs, including a pair of hat tricks, opened the scoring at 25:37 off a feed from sophomore Keri Cavallo. “They’re always looking for each other and work well together,” coach Shannon McEntee said of the forward tandem. “Their chemistry is even better than what it was last year.”

Klaum won’t exclusively play up front, McEntee said. “We’re going to use her in the midfield and rotate some other players at forward,” she noted. “Christina’s an aggressive, smart and unselfish player who knows where to be at all times. She’s a tremendous weapon no matter where we put her.”

Junior Katie Ford, who scored the state championship-winning goal off a header to beat Somers, 1-0, in the fourth OT, also works well with Cavallo and converted one of her passes in the second half of the conference opener against Division to provide the final margin. Ford also scored the lone goal in a 1-0 non-league win over Sacred Heart Academy in the season opener on Sept. 7. “Katie has a nose for the ball and just delivers,” McEntee said. Cavallo delivered almost double digits in goals last season and is a quality finisher and feeder.

Offensively, with only one starter gone from last year’s forward and midfield groups, McEntee said the Lady Cyclones appear stronger. “They’ve all got a year under their belt working together,” she noted. 

Senior outside midfielders Michaela Lynch and Meghan Hines are consistent playmakers with speed, and senior Alex Reis will help control the tempo in the middle with newcomer Stephanie Leonardo. A sophomore, Leonardo notched her first goal in a South Side uniform off a corner kick by sophomore Kayla Hospodka for a 2-0 lead against Division.