Newtown High School's boys' lacrosse team earned a 12-7 victory over visiting Conard on April 16. The boys dropped an 11-6 at South-West Conference rival Joel Barlow of Redding on April 18, to carry a record of 3-3 into Thursday's scheduled home matchup with Pomperaug of Southbury, set for 7 pm.

The girls' lacrosse team had a pair of tough defeats, falling 16-12 to Staples of Westport on April 14 and visiting Barlow 15-5 on April 18 to bring a 4-3 record into Thursday's game at Pomperaug, also at 7 pm.

Against Conard, the Newtown offense was powered by senior captain Jared Pearson who scored eight goals. Also helping out were Tucker Garrity who had three assists, Colin McCafferty with two goals and an assist, and Layton Harrell and Evan Eggleston with a goal and an assist apiece.

Mark Urso had another strong day, getting possession for the offense by winning 15 of 20 faceoffs, and goaltender Tommy Elliot made seven saves.

In the loss to Barlow, the Falcons capitalized on Newtown being a man down throughout much of the second half. Pearson had three goals and an assist, Matt Meyers scored twice, Garrity recorded a goal and an assist, and Eggleston had two assists. Elliot made 15 saves, and Urso was 14 for 19 on draws.

The girls led Staples 8-6 at the half before the Wreckers struck early to gain momentum. Newtown goaltender Tess Davenport kept her team in the game by compiling 17 saves. Alex Futterman had four goals, and Julia Sughrue added four goals and an assist to lead to the offense. Brianna Scalfani had a goal and two assists, and Charli Condon and Nevan Gattey both added net-finders.

Newtown jumped out to an early 4-0 lead against Barlow and found itself deadlocked at five apiece at halftime before the Falcons seized control.

Coach Amanda Mastera said her team shut down Barlow's attack and moved the ball quickly to generate scoring chances in the first half.

Futterman had three goals and two assists, and Scalfani, Julia Wiberg, and Sughrue all added tallies.

In the second half, the Falcons dominated on the draw, double teamed in the midfield, and switched to a zone backer defense, Mastera said.

"We had a difficult time adjusting to these changes. Though this game was a tough loss, it's just a realization that there is always work to be done," the coach said. "Onward and upward."

The boys will host Weston on Tuesday, April 26, starting at 7 pm. The girls visit Weston the same day, beginning at 5:30 pm, during a five-game stretch of contests away from home.