Wantagh Boys Soccer Drops Heartbreaker to South Side

Tuesday’s rematch of last year’s Nassau County Class A boys soccer between Wantagh and South Side appeared to be headed toward a scoreless draw until the Cyclones found an opening.

With the Warriors (1-2 Conference A-IV) rushing toward the net with less than a minute ito go in an attempt to win the game, the South Side defense clamped down and created a transition opportunity at the other end. With Wantagh defenders scrambling to get back in position, Mark Romanowski fed Kevin Cook for what proved to be the game-winning goal with just 38 seconds remaining.

“It’s one of the worst ways to lose a game,” said Wantagh boys soccer head coach Tom Liguori moments after the Warriors dropped a 1-0 heartbreaker in the final seconds to the team that ended the Warriors season in the 2010 Nassau County Class A championship. “You’d almost rather lose 3-0 then to get gutted in the last 30 seconds when you’re right there.” 

South Side’s late end -to-end goal Tuesday could prove to be crucial when the Conference A-IV playoffs shake out next month. The Cyclones (1-2 in Conference A-IV) came into Tuesday’s match at still looking for its first league win while Wantagh was coming off a come-from-behind 3-2 win at Garden City. Only the top four teams in the league will quality for the postseason.

South Side’s late goal was one of many opportunities the defending Nassau County Class A champions created throughout the match. Wantagh goalie Kevin Laibach (eight saves) stymied many Cyclone scoring attempts including a breakaway attempt by midfielder Chris Harkins midway through the second half.

“We create a lot of opportunities throughout the match and we finally put one away,” said South Side boys soccer head coach Fred Paul. “We’ve been struggling to connect passes throughout the season but we’ve been incorporating some new guys into the mix and I think today they realized when they play simple they can create some dangerous opportunities for us.”

Wantagh also had plenty of opportunities, but South Side goalie Thomas Germano was up to the challenge recording six saves.

“At points we were the better team and at points they were the better team,” said Liguori. “It was an even game.”

Wantagh will try and bounce back from Tuesday’s heartbreaking loss when it hosts Jericho Thursday at 4:30 p.m. South Side is next in action on Thursday at home against New Hyde Park with a 4:30 p.m. kickoff.