South Side strings win together

South Side’s boys’ lacrosse team produced back-to-back wins for the first time in 2013, beating Conference B-II rival Calhoun and Class A playoff hopeful Baldwin last week, and coach Steve DiPietro is hoping it’s a sign of things to come.

“We’ve shown if we bring a lot of energy, we can compete with anyone,” DiPietro said after the Cyclones pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 7-2 non-conference win at Baldwin on April 23. “I think the way we’ve played the past four or five games, we’re right where we want to be heading into a big week,” he added.

Five players found the net for South Side (2-2 in B-II, 4-6 overall), which got two goals apiece from senior Cole Considine and junior Alex Pickett. Seniors Jon Firestone and Dan Cecere, and sophomore Dylan Crossan also scored. Goalie Kieran Clark stopped 10 of 12 Bruins’ shots.

“We’re starting to play better offensively and seeing more kids show up in the boxscore, and we just had a tremendous defensive effort,” DiPietro said. “Baldwin is extremely athletic and we didn’t allow them any big runs. Both goals they scored came on deflections.”

Containing Bruins standout Tyler Warner, who scored in the third quarter, was one of the keys, DiPietro said. “It was a collective effort,” he said of a defensive performance led by Cecere, fellow seniors Matt Berry and Ed Seganti, and sophomore Steven DiMare. “Everyone stood their ground and did a nice job.”

South Side, which has been without key senior contributors Gerard Mahoney and Stephen Tita for weeks, outscored the Bruins 3-0 in the fourth quarter to mark the fourth consecutive game it beat or tied an opponent over the final 12 minutes. “We’re doing a good job protecting the ball and trying to make the most out of every possession,” said DiPietro, who is hopeful Mahoney can return this week when the Cyclones face Wantagh and Bellmore-JFK. 

As was the case last spring, DiPietro split the goaltending responsibilities over the first 10 games between seniors Clark and Chandler Baylis. The latter made nine saves in an 11-2 win over Calhoun on April 20. “Both guys have played extremely well, so I’m not sure if we’ll change anything or not moving forward,” DiPietro said. “It’s good to know whichever one plays can do the job for us.”

At Calhoun, Considine had five points — three goals and two assists — and senior Eric Gennari added two goals and two assists. Six others scored — Firestone, Dylan Crossan, Ryan Crossan, Stephen Parker, Jack Lucas and Kieran O’Hagan — in what was the team’s second-highest scoring game of the season. Considine and Hunter Rainis are tied for the team lead in goals with 10.   

“A lot of our wounds have been self-inflicted, but I’m happy with how we’ve responded in some tough situations,” DiPietro said. “We were down five goals to Long Beach [11-9 loss on April 12] and got within one in the fourth quarter. I was really proud of that effort against one of the best teams in the county.”