By:Tom Jordan
November in Rockville Centre means playoff time for South Side's soccer teams. When the leaves change color and the air turns crisp, it's time for Alan Freeman's boys and Bob Bigelow's girls to turn up the heat.
The boys' team made a big splash by winning their first-round game on Sat., Oct. 27, 1-0 over favored East Meadow. Brian Wolchok's goal midway through the second half was the game's only score as seventh-seeded South Side advanced to the quarterfinals. They were set to play Syosset, the No. 2 seed on Tuesday, Oct. 29, after the Herald went to press.
The Cyclones lost to Syosset in their only meeting this year, 1-0, on Oct. 24. Goalkeeper Matt Nolan had five saves in the game, but South Side couldn't get its offense going.
The Cyclones struggled for wins in the highly competitive Conference A this season, winning one game, tying four and losing seven.
But fickle fate owed them one. Last year's Cyclones earned the No. 1 seed in the playoffs with seven wins and four ties, but lost in the first round with All-American M.J. Serota unable to play with the flu.
If the Cyclones pull off another upset, they would play the winner of Massapequa-Port Washington game on Oct. 31.
The girls' team took its first step towards repeating as Conference I-A champions when they played No. 9 seed Farmingdale on Monday, Oct. 29. The game was played after the Herald went to press.
Farmingdale outlasted No. 12 Herricks in the opening round of the playoffs on Fri., Oct. 26, for the right to play the Cyclones. South Side, the conference's No.1 seed, had a first-round bye after finishing the regular season 12-0.
Many thought last year's Cyclones, who went 20-0 and won their first Class A championship after dominating Class B, would be a tough act to follow. But the 2001 team has maneuvered through an unbeaten season, outscoring its opponents 44-7 along the way. Goalkeeper Christine Conway had seven shutouts.
The Cyclones haven't lost a regular-season or playoff game since October 1999, when Massapequa beat them in the Long Island finals. They are rated the No. 1 in America, according to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America . South Side has been ranked either No. 1 or No. 2 all season.
While the Cyclones have managed to keep winning, there were some close calls along the way. They won three 2-1 games and edged Massapequa 1-0 on Oct. 11, when Corry Silon knocked home the lone goal on a penalty kick in the second half.
South Side completed its regular season with a 6-0 victory over Calhoun on Oct. 22. Nina Nanavrakis and Christine Abrams each scored twice in the victory, and Conway made eleven stops. Two days earlier, Abrams scored once and assisted on freshman Allie Dowling's goal in a 3-0 win at Oceanside.
Nanavrakis led the team with nine goals. Silon was second with seven. Abrams and Lisa Jaffa each scored six.
But now the real season starts, with all its pressure. Lose once, and the season is over. But this is a team that's been there before. They know how to win.
