The chances kept coming - five second-half corner kicks and a slew of throw-ins deep in Notre Dame-Fairfield's end of the field but, when all was said and done, Newtown High School's boys' soccer team dropped a 1-0 decision to the host Lancers, at Veterans Memorial Park in Bridgeport, in the South-West Conference tournament quarterfinals, on October 28.

Sixth-seeded Newtown will wait for the start of the state tournament in early November; the No. 3 Lancers move on to the SWC semifinals.

Notre Dame scored the lone goal in the first half on a windy day that created challenging circumstances for both teams.

"Wind was a huge factor," Newtown Coach Brian Neumeyer said.

The gusts almost benefited the Nighthawks when a long-range blast from near midfield bounced, causing Notre Dame goalkeeper Marcelo DeSouza to leap and tap the ball over the crossbar early in the second half.

Newtown posted a dozen shots toward the goal, and some opportunities sailed wide; others were blocked by defenders or corralled by DeSouza.

"We battled - we did," Neumeyer said. "Coming off a loss here, it's over. The tournament ends for us."

The Newtown coach said he has no expectations heading into the state tournament, but he certainly did going into the SWC playoffs, and credits the lineup for trying its best.

"I really expected this team to go to the final. They worked hard enough to go there," Neumeyer said.