Thursday, October 1, 2026
Tara Cody was unfazed when South Side’s girls lacrosse season hung in the balance in the final minute of Thursday’s Nassau County Class C finals against Wantagh.
The senior goalie squared up for her second free position shot in a matter of minutes against Wantagh’s Sabrina Asadurian in a tie game, but unlike the first attempt Cody made a crucial low stick save. Cody’s clutch stop, one of her eight on the day, set the stage for more heroics at the other end of the field when freshman midfielder Juliet Diorio scored with just 2.3 seconds left to propel South Side to a repeat county title.
“She had just scored on the last free position but I always say you have to adapt into a game and know your opponents’ tendencies," said Cody moments after the dramatic 8-7 win at Farmingdale State College. “We knew [Asadurian] is one of their best players and we had to stop her if we wanted to win this,” she added.
The result was far different minutes before when Asadurian lined up for her first free position against Cody and fired home a bounce shot to tie the score at 7-7. It marked the sixth and final time the teams traded goals after the score was tied 4-4 at halftime.
Diorio’s winning tally following Cody’s big stop came after South Side coach Rob Devlin called a timeout with 23 seconds left to set up a play. Junior attackman Bobbie Creo hit the post out of the timeout but South Side corralled the rebound leading to Diorio’s eventual game-winner from the top of the arc.
“I told them during the timeout that they just needed to trust themselves and that if they were patient and let their options play out we didn't have to force anything to the cage,” Devlin said.
South Side looked like it wouldn't need a late dramatic save and goal after jumping out to a 4-0 lead in the first quarter on two goals from Diorio along with tallies by Skye Korten and Creo.
Wantagh stormed back in the second quarter to knot the score at 4-4 at halftime capped by Asadurian scoring off transition off a draw control win with 34 seconds left in the half. Moments earlier sophomore midfielder Brigid Reilly cut the lead to 4-3 off a pass from sophomore attacker Marykate O'Callaghan with 43.8 seconds left in the period.
Senior goalie Madeline Gonzalez kept Wantagh in the game with 12 saves and kept South Side scoreless for a 17:27 stretch of the game after the Cyclones stormed out to the early 4-0 advantage.
The Warriors, who fell to South Side 14-8 in last year’s Class C final, reached the county championship for a third straight year and eighth time in nine seasons after an 0-7 start to the season playing rigorous competition in Nassau’s power league. Wantagh entered the county finals winners of five in a row and six of seven including a 10-9 win against South Side on April 23 in which the Warriors rallied from an 8-3 halftime deficit.
“They never allowed early setbacks to define who they were and instead they embraced every challenge as an opportunity to grow, learning from mistakes and continuing to improve each day,” Wantagh fourth-year coach Lauren Rupport said. “One of the biggest reasons for this team's success was how coachable and committed they were every day.”
Both Wantagh and South Side entered the finals stage after dramatic semifinal triumphs.
Wantagh defeated third-seeded Plainedge 13-12 in overtime on May 21 with Asadurian netting the winner off dodge from behind the net. The Warriors’ offense was paced by four goals from senior attacker Madeline Drago and hattrick by eight grade midfielder Hailey Mekeel.
South Side reached the championship with a 9-7 semifinal victory against fourth-seeded North Shore featuring three goals from Korten along with two goals and two assists by Creo. Cody was also big in the semis with 9 saves.
The Cyclones will now have some time before a huge test on June 7 at Stony Brook University in the Long Island Class C finals against the winner of this Sunday’s Suffolk County title match between unbeaten Sayville and Harborfields. It will mean more opportunities for a close-knit team to make more memories together.
“It is great to get another 10 days with your best friends,” Diorio said. “I couldn’t have asked for a better end to this game.”
