Thursday, October 1, 2026
South Side’s boys soccer team is looking to make the program’s 100th anniversary season one for record books.
The Cyclones returned plenty of talent from last year's 15-1-2 team that went unbeaten in the regular season before suffering a 1-0 defeat to Calhoun in the Nassau Class AA semifinals at Farmingdale State. Sixth-year South Side coach Patrick Corvetti, a former Cyclones player, is looking to mark the century mark of the program with a 14th county title and first since 2014 after seeing sharp commitment from his team in the preseason
“I would say 95% of them spent the whole summer together working out in the morning with the coaches and then at the end of the summer we amped it up,” Corvetti said. “We came into the season with expectations we can win the whole thing.”
South Side brought back some key offensive players in junior midfielder Teddy Fitzgerald, senior forward/midfielder Quinari Mesqita and senior forward Noah Porter. Sophomores Sebastian Langley and Mark Stewart along with junior Brandon Curtis are newcomers playing central midfield roles early on this season.
The Cyclones have plenty of experience with the backline led by seniors Colin Levine, Damien D'Antonio and Mike Martorona along with junior Mason Woo. Senior goalie Ryan Hoffman is starting in net for the first time and the Cyclones also have a capable backup in senior Chris Monroy.
The Cyclones entered the week at 1-0-3 while battling some early season injuries in some matches. The lone win saw South Side erupt offensively in a 5-0 victory against Hewlett on Sept. 4 led by three goals and an assist from Mesquita.
“If this can stay healthy we can go on a run,” Corvetti said. “Hopefully everyone is healthy towards the end of the season and the younger people step up and then we're healthy and we're deep and we’ve got experience to go with it.”
South Side visits Division this Thursday for a 5 p.m. kickoff and then will face Elmont in a Saturday morning road battle at 10 a.m. The Cyclones will host Garden City, the two-time defending Class AA state champions, on Sept. 15 at 7 p.m.
Tunnel To Towers Tradition
South Side’s boys soccer team will continue the program’s longstanding tradition of taking part in New York City’s annual Tunnel to Towers 5K Walk & Run on Sept. 27 to raise money for people affected by the 9/11 terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center 25 years ago.
Participating in the race has special meaning to the South Side team given that Rockville Centre had a number of residents on that tragic day including former Cyclone soccer players Timothy O'Brien and Stephen Tighe. The South Side boys soccer team along with players from the Cyclones’s girls soccer and football teams will all bus into Red Hook, Brooklyn for the start of the 3.1-mile journey that raises funds for the The Tunnel to Towers Foundation.
“We always run it and then have lunch together after and have raised a lot of money over the years,” Corvetti said. “We're proud to give back.”
