SSHS 2010 Boys' Varsity Soccer Preview

Last season, South Side High School boys' varsity soccer team was inexperienced, and it showed early on as they got off to a slow start in 2009. But head coach Fred Paul fiddled with his lineup until it clicked.

What resulted from Paul's lineup maneuvering was a steel curtain defense that propelled the Cyclones to a 9-4-7 record during the regular season and a No. 2 playoff seed. South Side went on to capture the Nassau County Championship, but lost 2-0 to Comsewogue in the Long Island Class-A Championship game.

The Cyclones are returning ten core players in the 2010 season, including seven starters, and are prepared to go further than they did last season.

"That's the motivation we have for this season," Paul said of losing in the state championship game to Comsewogue. "They had a taste of success. Now, they want to go further."

Senior All-County sweeper Jeff Cohen will anchor a strong defense, and sophomore forward Marco Romanowski, who led the team in scoring and earned an All-County Honorable Mention last year, will provide plenty of offensive firepower.

While Paul recognized a few stellar individual performances from 2009, he didn't solely credit them for the Cyclones' success. Instead, he said, it was an overall team effort, in particular from the defensive unit, which made them a more competitive club. Paul said he hopes this season follows the same suit. 

"We are a defense first team," the third-year coach explained. "The cornerstone of our team is defense. We will never sacrifice defense for offense. We struggle at times to score goals, but we get the job done."

Last year, South Side went eight games without surrendering a goal, thanks to goalkeeper Paul Casazza, who blanked the opposition 12 times and will be playing club soccer at Villanova University. They were also helped  by defenseman Greg Cove, who was a high school lacrosse All-American and will play at SUNY Binghamton.

Thankfully, Paul said, though they will miss Cove's ability to neutralize the opposition's top player, the Cyclones are returning three of four starting defenders from last year's squad, and will have two capable netminders battling for the top spot.

"We have a lot of talent returning," he said. "We had a real young team last year, but I don't have to tinker as much this year. If things go well, we should start off from were we left off."

The Cyclones will host Baldwin High School at the Dean Skelos Sports Complex on Tuesday, September 14 at 7 p.m.