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Sports

Seaford Girls Soccer Falls to Powerhouse South Side

Lady Vikings get their feet wet in Conference 1 play with 3-0 loss to longtime Long Island power.

The girls soccer team had all they could handle in their 2011 season opener, holding off an offensive onslaught from perennial powerhouse South Side as long as they could before succumbing 3-0 under the home lights Wednesday night.

There’s no questioning the outcome. However Lady Viking coach Suzanne Mooney said her team played some great soccer.

“We had a great first half,” she said. “I think we shocked South Side -- they didn’t expect us to be that good. But as the game went on, they just wore us down.”

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In fact Seaford played a defensive game for the first 20 minutes or so, as the Cyclones demonstrated their persistent attack game -- featuring quickness, skilled ball handling, adept passing and a nose for the goal.

It was not until the 22 minute mark that South Shore goalie Kelsey Berki (four saves) even had cause to touch the ball -- while for first half Seaford goalie Deanna Moor (seven saves), the action was fast and furious.

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Still, it was 0-0 as the first half wore down -- and in fact, the Lady Vikings had a real scoring opportunity when, with 4:34 showing, a direct kick from about thirty yards out found Jessica Torrent five feet. Torrent couldn’t get an open shot however, and the threat passed.

It was South Side which converted moments later, though, on a free kick of their own from about the same distance. Alex Reis sent the ball at Seaford’s net and when Moor was unable to get the ball under control, South Side’s Kayla Hospodka took advantage of the situation and slammed it home.

In contrast to the dramatic tightness of the first half, however, the second half was wilder, as each team tried their hand at fast breaks in order to shake the game up. First was Seaford, on a Torrent fast break at the 36 minute mark. Four minutes later it was the turn of Meghan Hines and Christina Hines, who combined for the Lady Cyclones to force second half goalie Lindsey Montemarano (eight saves) to come out of the net and kick it free.

At the 30 minute mark it was the turn of Seaford’s Nicollette Diodati, whose fast break was thwarted by a sliding save from Berki.

By mid-second half, however, Seaford was substituting freely, and the game devolved into an exercise in South Side dominance. “We had some injuries, and had to take some girls out, and that killed us,” said Mooney.

A relentless South Side scored twice in a three minute stretch of the second half -- at the 20:48 mark, when the talented Klaum sent one over the outstretched fingertips of Montemarano; and again at 17:41, when Hines followed up on a cross of her own to score amidst a wild fracas in front of the Seaford goal mouth.

For South Side, who had its string of five straight Long Island titles ended last year, Wednesday was a satisfying win.

“I thought we played well,” said Lady Cyclones head coach Shannon McEntee. “We had good ball movement, moved the ball smoothly and found connections. I have been pushing my team for more offense, especially following up on plays, and that’s what we saw tonight.”

As for Seaford, it was a live and learn evening. “We’ve moved into Conference 1, and now we know what it’s about,” said Mooney. “The last couple of years we won a lot -- and we want to get some wins under our belt. But at least now we know what to expect next time.”

Next up for Seaford is a game at Great Neck South later today at 4:30 p.m. followed by a trip to Roosevelt on Sept 24.

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