Winning a championship is a goal for many teams and the path to the top, of course, varies from team to team.

In the case of Newtown High School’s boys’ soccer program it will come down to — in large part — the coaches adapting to the style of play the team members bring to the field.

Newtown Coach Ryan Lyddy said that he along with Assistant Coaches Matt Cotto, Adem Selmani, and Chris O’Heron each bring different personalities to the field, work well with the players, and set them up with formations and strategies in which they will thrive.

This year the team will feed off its depth both in terms of on-field formation, which will allow for the Hawks to knock the ball around, as well as when it comes to the bench. There will be participation among more players on the roster than has usually been the case, Lyddy anticipates.

“The depth per position, it’s deeper than I think it’s ever been,” the coach said.

A strength of the team is its cohesion. Lyddy said there is strong leadership from the captains as well as the other seniors.

“They all get along — there’s no one guy. It’s not a one-guy thing here, it’s a team,” Lyddy said.

Captains are defensive midfielder Brendan McAnaspie, center midfielder Curtis Verdi, left forward Ryan Payne, and defender Eli Brady.

As preseason unfolded one of the question marks quickly became an apparent strong point. Following the graduation of starting goalkeeper Yarema Stasyshyn, senior Luke Doherty and junior James D’Amico have emerged quickly to create an open competition for the starting spot.

“Either way we’re in good hands,” Lyddy said of the goalkeeping situation as his squad warmed up for a preseason scrimmage against Norwalk at Blue & Gold Stadium on a late-preseason Saturday morning.

Other key players are seniors Eric Arpi, Matt Yermolin, Edward Lui, and Josh Prudhomme; juniors Noel McLeod, Landon Dorsey, Jeff Prout, Teddy Moxham, Dan Tzakis; and sophomores Manny Asenjo, Manny Adomako, and Jonah Kaiser.

Tough teams in the South-West Conference include Bethel, Joel Barlow, and Brookfield, Lyddy said. The coach is optimistic his squad will be among those in the mix to win a title. The Hawks are traditionally one of the better teams in the SWC and will look to continue to be among the top conference squads with a chance to win it all.

Newtown is a Class L team and will face tough nonconference tests against Class LL teams Naugatuck and Xavier of Middletown. The Nighthawks will also face Wethersfield, at Farmington Sports Arena on September 14; the Hawks were invited back to participate in the Connecticut High School Soccer Challenge, which showcases top teams from a variety of conferences throughout the state.

Lyddy is in his fifth year since taking over coaching the Hawks and as excited as ever for the regular season to begin.

“The fire’s still there,” said Newtown’s coach, adding that he is appreciative of the support of NHS Athletic Director Matt Memoli and Principal Dr Kimberly Longobucco.

Lyddy describes NHS soccer as being one program with emphasis on the freshmen, junior varsity, and varsity squads all being integral to the success of the Nighthawks. He said there is emphasis on culture of the program producing quality people first and strong soccer players and solid students along the way in the developmental process.

The first four games are at home with Pomperaug of Southbury set to visit Blue & Gold in the opener Thursday, September 5, at 6:30 pm.

Sports Editor Andy Hutchison can be reached at andyh@thebee.com