South Side molding into shape

South Side suffered just one defeat on the boys’ soccer pitch a year ago, a 1-0 decision to eventual Nassau Class A champion Mepham in the county semifinals.

The Cyclones were undefeated (8-0-2) Conference A-III champs, knocked off Division and Floral Park in the playoffs, and posted 10 shutouts on the year. A handful of major contributors graduated, but coach Fred Paul still has plenty of talent to work with.

“We’re not where we need to be yet,” Paul said as the conference opener against Glen Cove approached. “We’ve got a lot of work to do. We’ve got some key guys back, but we have others learning new positions and some entirely new to varsity.”

Where opponents will have trouble matching South Side is between the pipes, where the Cyclones return three-year starter Danny Kelleher. He’s headed to Hofstra to play baseball. “Danny controls the field even when he’s not making saves,” Paul said. “He gets us going in transition and jump starts the offense. He’s also a great leader.”

Kelleher and senior midfielder Rob Reis are captains. Reis, a four-year member of the varsity who missed the 2017 season due to injury, popped in six goals last fall while serving as a vital part of the defense. “Rob is the key to our whole game,” Paul explained. “He’s the general of the offense. He can score and he’s a distributor. His ability to win headers in the middle of the field is a huge factor.”

Two forwards from a year ago are joining Reis in the midfield. Junior Vasion Sinjari will be a holding middie and brings a tremendous shot to the table. He scored four times a year ago and Paul is counting on his production to rise. “He’s got an extremely powerful and accurate shot,” Paul said.

On the outside, seniors Aidan Prendergast and Liam Leonard are the projected starters. Prendergast saw time off the bench as a forward last season and has the pace to get up and down the field and has the ability to find another gear, Paul noted. Leonard has experience at the position as a reserve in 2018 and is expected to handle an increased workload. “Liam is consistent at getting himself in the right spot to make a play,” Paul said.

The defensive unit in front of Kelleher will be comprised of seniors Nick Giganti, Matt Guinan and Richie McQuillan, and sophomore James Foley. The latter is up from JV. Paul said Giganti does an excellent job in containment and will often get the toughest assignment. Guinan, the stopper, is strong in the air and sparks the team in transition. McQuillan plays a physical game, and junior Tim Warner, also part of the rotation, is poised.

The Cyclones are young and talented up front with freshman Ryan McNicholas, who scored his first varsity goal Sept. 4 in a 3-0 non-league win over Syosset, and sophomore Adin Wilson topping the depth chart with sophomore Lukas Anisansel and senior Miguel Hulyalkar in the mix.