South Side girls lacrosse edges Port Washington, led by Curtis and Connolly
Sienna Connolly of South Side, right, congratulates teammate Ava Curtis after she scored a tie-breaking goal to give the Cyclones a 10-9 lead over Port Washington with 5:07 remaining in the fourth quarter of a Nassau Conference I girls lacrosse game at South Side on Wednesday. Credit: James Escher
South Side junior Ava Curtis found a pocket in the Port Washington defense, drove through the middle with confidence, and found the back of the net to break a tie with five minutes left. But there was still too much time left to celebrate. Sophomore Bobbie Creo won the draw control, giving possession to the Cyclones once again, but a shot saved by the Port Washington goalie meant the Vikings could have a chance to bring it to overtime. That’s where senior Sienna Connolly comes in.
“I knew there was over a minute left to go, and that it would probably be their last chance to tie it,” Connolly said. “We needed our defense to be on point. I saw the ball go up and just went for it.”
Connolly intercepted the goalie’s pass, allowing the Cyclones to run out the remaining time on the clock and seal the 10-9 win over Port Washington in Nassau I.
“Sienna is impactful on all ends of the field,” coach Robert Devlin said. “She has skill, she has speed, and just a great understanding of the sport.”
The score wasn’t always so tight. The Cyclones started the game with a 4-0 lead, but the Vikings scored three consecutive goals in the second to cut the lead to 5-4.
“We’re really trying to work on being consistent all game, from start to finish,” Delvin said. “But the girls are really working hard, and we’re hoping to build as the season continues.”
The Cyclones came out hot in the third, scoring three goals within the first five minutes, extending their lead to 8-4. But Port Washington scored four unanswered goals to tie it going into the final quarter.
“It was a lot of back-and-forth,” Curtis said. “We would go up, get complacent, and then we would let them make their way back. But we knew we needed to fight it out in that final quarter.”
Curtis and Connolly each finished with two goals, Skye Korten added two goals and one assist, and Annie Chimienti had one goal and three assists. Catherine Karman had three goals, and Hayes Hassett made 12 saves for Port Washington (5-3).
For the last three seasons, South Side (7-2) has fallen short of the county championship game, the last two years by just one goal.
“Every year, we get there and we just fall short,” Connolly said. “This year, we have a different mentality. We’re really motivated to go all the way.”
