Cyclones Score Five Goals in Fourth to Complete Comeback Over Carey, 6-3

After falling behind 3-0 in the first five minutes against rival Carey and not recording their first shot until midway through the third quarter, it looked as if South Side's winning streak would end at four on Wednesday.

But the Cyclones scored six unanswered goals — five in the fourth quarter — and goalie Dominic Moriarty stopped 19 shots in the final stanza to lead South Side (5-3) to their fifth consecutive win, a 6-3 victory over Carey.

“We just came out flat," Cyclones head coach Steve DiPietro said. "We had no intensity, and they capitalized early against our [lackadaisical] defense. We challenged them at halftime to show them if they had the heart to come back and play with no regrets and they eventually got out of the funk and we put it away.”

After struggling against Carey's high pressure defense and constant double teams most of the game, the Cyclones began recognizing Carey's defensive holes in the fourth quarter, leading to five goals in a matter of minutes. 

First, Zach Scaduto fought through the defense from behind the net to put one in the top right corner passed sophomore goalie Nick Fasano. On the next possession, Gerrato passed up an open shot to find an open Peter Clark, who went top shelf from the side of the net for the game-tying goal.

Kevin Waxon ran a backdoor cut and scored to give South Side a 4-3 lead, then Eric Gennari and Patrick Finnerty each added an unassisted goal to put the Cyclones up 6-3, finishing off the improbable comeback.

Though his team scored enough to win, DiPietro credited Moriarty for holding the Seahawks offense in check after giving up three quick goals in the first. His defense allowed the Cyclones the chance for a comeback, DiPietro said.

“Dom was a little rough early, but after that he tightened up and kept the score from being more than 3-0," he said. “[Moriarty] is playing extremely well the last few games, and showing why he was All-County last season. The score could have gotten out of hand, but eventually we were able to figure it out and exploit their double teams.”

The Seahawks (4-3) scored on their first three shots, getting two quick goals by Mike Locicero on backdoor cuts. Matt Oswald increased the score to 3-0 after scoring on a wrap around shot that bounced at Moriarty’s feet before hitting the top corner.

Those were the last mistakes Moriarty made; the Cyclones goalie shutout Carey for the rest of the game. Carey coach Rom Aiello said that Moriarty was the key to South Side's comeback.

“Their goalie just sapped the momentum from us, we couldn’t put it in the cage and he kept them in the game,” he said. “He was hot all game, he was great, and many of our shots were from point-blank range and he still got there.”

South Side plays again next Thursday at Baldwin at 11 a.m.