Cyclones Fall Preview

On September 12^th the Cyclones begin their 11^th season together. Over the past 3 seasons the Cyclones have gone from being on the verge of extinction to fielding their strongest team ever. This fall the dark horse Cyclones look to build on the success they had in the spring and challenge for their 1^st ever division title.

To reach the peak of Division 6W the Cyclones will have to grab points off of a couple of teams that have given them trouble over the years in Jericho & Cold Spring Harbor. Beyond that the girls will have to be on their best when they face friendly old rivals from Rockville Centre & Levittown, while taking care of business against Plainedge. This season there are two New Hyde Park teams to deal with, the Lady Leopards and the chippy, scrappy arch rival Cheshire Cats.

Fall 2010 Schedule

12-Sep vs RVC Blasters 6:00pm @ Field of Dreams in Massapequa

26-Sep at Levittown Pride 1:20pm

3-Oct vs CSH United 6:00pm @ Field of Dreams in Massapequa

17-Oct at Jericho Force 2:10pm

24-Oct vs NHP Cheshire Cats 10:00am @ POB Travel Field B

31-Oct at NHP Lady Leopards 10:30am

7-Nov vs Plainedge Fury 6:00pm @ Field of Dreams in Massapequa

14-Nov at RVC Blasters 3:00pm

21-Nov vs Levittown Pride 12:40pm @ POB Travel Field B

DC comes to POB

For the 3rd season in a row the Cyclones have bolstered their roster. A year ago it was the dynamic defensive duo of Kiera & Diana. Last season the Cyclones added the divisions best player, Amanda & most prolific scorer , Dana. This season they've done it again. The addition of Danielle C. from the June tryouts gives the Cyclones an experienced forward and midfielder from West Babylon. From the preseason scrimmages the chemistry between Danielle and her teammates has been very evident. Danielle will wear #27.

Cyclones Close Out The Spring Fighting To The Finish

It was another strong performance by the Cyclones as they fought until the final whistle playing the RVC Blasters to a 1-1 tie on Saturday afternoon. The 3rd place Blasters came into the game having won 3 in a row against the Cyclones including an evenly played 2-1 game in April. As they did in April it was the Cyclones grabbing an early lead on Dana's 5th goal of the season. Dana's goal was the result of both Rachel & Jenna fighting to keep the ball in and push it up the wing. Anchored by Kiera, Amanda & both Anna's the Cyclone defense was once again virtually impenetrable. Meanwhile the midfielders, Rachel, Jenna, Jordan, Lisa, Ravid, Marissa & Kathleen did an outstanding job keeping the ball deep in RVC territory feeding Alexa and Dana. The scored remained 1-0 at halftime, but as good teams do the Blasters came out strong in the 2nd half and kept the pressure on until getting the tying goal.
With their newly signed teammate observing from the players bench and determined to play for the win the Cyclones turned up the pressure and threw everything but the kitchen sink at the Blasters the rest of the game. There were many chances and many 50/50 battles won by the Cyclones as they gambled with 4 and sometimes 5 forwards pushing for the winning goal. At the same time the Blasters got several breakaways only to be snuffed out by a brilliant performance in goal by Diana. In only her 2nd appearance in net this season Diana was as sharp as she would have been playing all season. Definitely one of the most exciting games we've seen this season.
The final score 1-1.

For the Cyclones the final record of 3-3-3 was an indicator of so many positive things. The team played more aggressively and physical than we have ever seen. The camaraderie was once again as good as ever. The maturity and leadership of the girls showed up on the field and on the bench.
Here are the numbers...
- The 3 losses tie for the lowest in a season with our 1st season
- 12 goals allowed in 9 games a team record, congratulations to Deniz and the defense
- 4th place finish best ever in team history

Thanks to Lon & Vicki here are the pictures...
The 1st one is my favorite!

Cyclones Pitch Perfect Game Beating Syosset For 3rd Straight Time

Pay back is a...pleasure, at least it is for the Cyclones. After going winless in 12 previous games against 3 different Syosset opponents the Cyclones have made it 3 in a row increasing the margin of victory each time. Saturday's 3-0 win at Stillwell fields was the most complete victory the Cyclones have had in some time. From the opening whistle the Cyclones were in control. Goals by Jordan on a breakaway and Alexa off a great cross from Dana gave the girls a comfy 2-0 halftime lead.
When Anna L scored on a breakaway off a beautiful pass from Amanda the Syosset Infinity were done. Deniz was tested little on the way to her 5th career shutout as the Cyclone defense once again put the lock down on another opponent.

Whitewater Rafting Memorial Day Weekend

Things Get Hairy As Cyclones Tie Little Neck

If ever there was a sign that the Cyclones were turning a corner it was in Saturday May 8th's match up with undefeated, first place Little Neck. Coming into the game the Titans were 5-0, had allowed only 1 goal and were reputed to be the most physical team in the division. At 1-2-1 the Cyclones were hardly considered a threat to a team looking at a perfect record. But, these are not your mothers Cyclones. By halftime Amanda had scored 2 goals against the team that had only allowed 1 in their previous 5 games. Anna L had earned a penalty kick and her first career yellow card, the 2nd by a Cyclone player ever.
With the referee swallowing his whistle throughout most of the game and Little Neck's confidence turning into frustration the 2-2 game in the 2nd half got chippy. The Titans could not break through the Cyclones back 8, or Deniz's clutch goalkeeping and started to target the Cyclone goal scorer. After receiving a violent smack across the face and neck while trying to maintain possession Amanda's retaliation earned her a yellow card the Cyclones 2nd of the game and 1 more than they had in the previous 170+ games.
The Cyclones showed their mettle in the 2nd half, showing a conviction to fight to the finish as the Titans spent the final minutes appealing to the referee for calls against the more physical Cyclones. It is the first time in Cyclone history that they were not beaten by the eventual division winner.

Cyclones play a near perfect game, but lose 1-0

It was the 10th meeting between the LunaChics and Cyclones. The series dominated in recent series by the Chics has seen its share of close games and this was one of them.
The LunaChics got an early goal on a rare foray into Cyclone territory. But other than that and another shot that Deniz made an outstanding save on the game was played in the chics zone. The Cyclones had plenty of opportunities, Amanda wiyh at least 5 or 6 of her own. In the end the Levittown keeper got the shutout despite the Cyclone dominance.

Cyclones & Cheshire Cats Play Another Wild One

In a short period of time the Cyclones and the Cheshire Cats have built a healthy rivalry and Saturdays game was possibly the best one yet. Both Dana & Anna L scored 1st half goals to give the Cyclones a 2-1 halftime lead. The Cyclones came out strong in the 2nd half and when Anna scored her 2nd goal of the game from over 40 yards out the Cyclones had a 3-1 lead.
BUT, as the Cyclones know the Cheshire Cats never quit. The Cats scored 2 late second half goals and almost had a 3rd before the final whistle blew.
The 3-3 tie was the 1st in Cyclone History.

CYCLONES FALL SHORT AT RVC

The Cyclones, fielding their strongest line-up ever faced an old, yet familiar foe in the RVC Blasters. Things were looking up when Amanda blasted through the RVC defense and scored for the 2nd straight game to give the Cyclones an early lead. But that lead was short lived as the Blasters came right back to tie it up. The Cyclones played well in what was an evenly played match. The only difference a single breakaway that gave RVC the one goal victory.

Thanks to Lon & Vicki for he awesome pictures!

"Mass"ive Start To The Season

It’s been a great week for the Cyclones. First and foremost the entire Cyclone family is thrilled to add Amanda and welcome Dana back home. For the 2nd season in a row the Cyclones have been blessed with the addition of talented players who want to play soccer and have fun although not always in that order.

After a great effort in a losing cause vs New Hyde Park on Saturday followed by arguably the worst practice in team history on Thursday, the coaches had no idea what to expect as the Cyclones opened the season by hosting the Syosset Infinity.

What they got was a great team effort, including a dominant second half en route to a solid 2-0 win. Aside from missing 2 key players, you couldn’t have written a better script. All 15 Cyclones competed for the entire 70 minutes. About 10 minutes into the game the 2 newest Cyclones stepped onto the pitch and it wasn’t long before they made their presence felt. At the 22 minute mark Amanda created just enough space to launch a majestic shot from about 30 yards out that snuck in under the crossbar stunning the Syosset keeper and some of her own Cyclone mates to make it a 1-0 game. Syosset fought hard the rest of the half and created several chances that were snuffed out by Deniz and her bend but not break defense.

The 2nd half saw the Cyclones shut down the Syosset offense by applying offensive pressure of their own. That offensive pressure resulted in several corner kicks. Each corner kick came closer and closer to ending up in the net. Finally, Diana looped a perfect corner over the keeper and onto Dana’s reliable left foot and the ball knew exactly where to go. All 15 Cyclones contributed to shutting down the Infinity the rest of the way.
With the win the Cyclones have reached the 50 win milestone. It is also only the 3rd time in 10 seasons that they have begun the league season with a victory.

Diana Honored as Cyclones Take 3rd Place

Playing in their first indoor tournament in over 2 years the POB Cyclones rode a 2 win, 1 loss & 1 tie performance to a 3rd place finish in the 7 team bracket. Aside from a short stretch in the 3rd game in which the North Babylon Red Lightning was able to score twice, the Cyclone effort was flawless.
Diana was awesome in net, stunning the crowd with both spectacular and routine stops on the way to a 3 shut out day & a well deserved Goalkeeper of the Tournament honor.
This was a complete effort by the Cyclones.
Game 1 vs the North Babylon Blitz, a team that swept the Cyclones 3 years earlier in this same event was controlled by the Cyclones, but remained scoreless until the final tics of the clock when Kiera, who was outstanding all day, pounced on a rebound to give the girls the W.
Game 2 vs North Babylon White Lightning was eerily similar to the first game with one major exception, the score. With the familiar figure of #18 on the left side it was only going to be a matter of time before the goals started coming. Dana's cameo return for this event was highlighted by her 2 goals in this game. The victory was punctuated by a goal from Ariel whose persistence was rewarded leading the Cyclones to 3-0 victory.
Game 3 was a see-saw affair. After falling behind by 1 the Cyclones battled back to tie it on a gritty, never give up effort by Anna L, who was truly a force the entire tournament. The girls then took the lead on a shot that can only be described as "cracking" as Jessica "J-Lay" drilled a one time laser beam past a stunned keeper from the middle of the field. To their credit the White Lightning never quit and were able to pull off an upset with 2 goals late in the game.
The opponents for game 4 needed no introduction, they were the newest rival on the Cyclone radar, the NHP Cheshire Cats. The previous contests with the cats had resulted in a win, a tie & a loss for both teams in what have become physical battles unlike the Cyclones have been involved with before. Despite a thorough domination of the game the pesky cats kept the Cyclones off the board, resulting in a 0-0 tie.
For the Cyclones a 3rd place finish in a 7 team tournament was something to cheer about, the best indoor tournament finish in team history. Great teamwork, passing and a commitment to competing were all keys to the result.
As has been the case throughout the winter Ravid was the glue in the middle of the field, while Jordan & Deniz did whatever was needed to get the job done.

Congrats to all the girls, they played outstanding. Despite having to endure one of their coaches and his questionable decision making and the other coaches questionable dance moves.

Special thanks to Dana & Jessica for joining us for the event, we couldn't have won without you.