Lady Cyclones Top Kellenberg, 16-12

The South Side High School Lady Cyclones withstood a second-half offensive surge by Kellenberg yesterday, holding off the Firebirds for a 16-12 win at Skelos Field.

South Side jumped out to a quick 6-2 lead in the game's first nine minutes, and later extended its lead to 10-4 by the half. Head Coach Meaghan Healey said the team's offense ran efficiently in the first 25 minutes, maximizing its scoring opportunities on fast breaks while exhibiting patience when setting up scoring plays.

"A couple of our fast breaks worked really well," Healey said. "And I liked how we slowed down our offense when we needed to. When we do that, good things happen."

Up 10-4 to start the second stanza, it appeared as if South Side would cruise to an easy win. But junior defender Kendall Gough had received a yellow card in the first half, and Healey said she didn't want to risk her getting another one, so Healey sat Gough to start the second half. Kellenberg took advantage, scoring four times in the half's first four minutes to close the gap to 10-8.

"Kendall had a yellow card already, and I didn't want to chance her being out next game," Healey said. "But they came out more fired up in the second half than we did."

South Side stopped the Firebirds four-goal run with a goal at the 17:44 mark, then outscored Kellenberg 6-4 in the game's final 17 minutes to seal a 16-12 win. Kelsey Gregerson made 15 saves in the victory.

Senior Jackie Cifarelli led South Side with four goals and three assists, and sophomore Michaela Lynch also had four goals and two assists. Brianna McNally, Beth Gidicson, Lizzie Cozier and Nicole Cronley each scored once, and Leah Beaudet added two of her own.