By Kim J. Harmon

A

 cloud with a silver lining – that is pretty much was the Newtown High School girls’ lacrosse team is looking at as it heads into the 2001 season this week.

The CLOUD being the fact that the Nighthawks return to the field with just three varsity lettermen (14 seniors graduated from a team that went 14-3-1 a year ago). And the SILVER LINING being the fact that the newly-formed South-West Conference has provided the Nighthawks with a somewhat less difficult schedule in what could have otherwise been trying times.

“This is a rebuilding year,” admitted second-year coach Sara Patrick, a former player in the early days of the Newtown High School lacrosse program, “but we also have a good chance to be successful because of the new conference.”

The formation of the SWC brings together Newtown, New Fairfield, New Milford, Joel Barlow, Immaculate and Masuk. Masuk is a first-year team in every sense of the word and the other schools are not much older and the Nighthawks have to play all of them twice during the 2001 campaign.

A shot at a conference championship is likely – as is a shot at a CIAC state tournament berth – but coach Patrick knows the Nighthawks are going to have to do more than just ease through a weakened schedule.

Like getting a junior-laden team ready to play.

“Right now we’re focussing on building a strong defense and a strong set attack,” said coach Patrick. “I’ve been teaching both varsity and junior varsity the skills while (assistant coach) Maggie (Kossa) has been working on the conditioning. Hopefully we can put it all together.”

The Nighthawks will try to put it together without their two most prolific scorers ever. Caitlin Collier scored 60 goals last year and finished with a school-record 134 goals while Sarah O’Sullivan scored 54 times last year and finished with 98 career goals.

Losing offense like that just plain hurts.

And on top of that, the ‘Hawks also lost the services of top players like Katherine Moberg, Emily Sheehan, Kate Ryan, Jen Logan, Tate Hoeffel and Sage Huskins – all of whom combined for another 65 goals.

Erin McDonald (10 goals a year ago) and Megan Anderson (two goals) are the captains and only two seniors on the team. The ‘Hawks will rely on them to lead a crew (17 juniors) with very limited varsity experience.

That crew includes Mary Bell, Elissa Boushell, Alison Boyle, Katy Capito, Ellie Champagne, Jennifer Chuddy, Katie Davis, Megan Johnston, Maria Kowarick, Diane McNamara, Keira Morin, Morgan Pacheco, Rachel Rastelli, Angela Shannon, Kelly Shpunt, Jessica Stiewing, and Monica Zigman.

The inexperience, though, is relative – a half dozen or so of those players have been playing lacrosse for five or six years and some of the newer players have picked up the skills pretty well. Besides that, there are a host of solid athletes in that bunch – field hockey, soccer and basketball players.

So, a conference title is possible.

A state tournament berth is possible.

In fact, pretty much anything is possible.

Standing behind the varsity squad, a full junior varsity team includes Brittany Boyle, Courtney Brown, Sarah Champagne, Kelly Collier, Kelly Coney, Heidi Ekstrom, Maggie Lyon, Dana Martenson, Kristen McGrath, Kathryn McDonald, Amanda Molden, Jeanmarie Morlath, Jennifer Murphy, Robyn Pacheco, Kyle Paynter, Stacey Raino, Kelly Rodden, Libby Scharf, Shannon Shepard, Caitlin Weber, and Sarah Whalley.

How many of them get a chance to play a little varsity remains to be seen.

And so, with all of these players in tow, the Nighthawks began their quest this week for the first-ever South-West Conference championship and a return to the state tournament.

SCHEDULE

 

Thursday, April 5 – at Danbury, 3:45 pm; Saturday, April 7 – versus Masuk, 10 am; Monday, April 16 – at Cheshire, 4 pm; Tuesday, April 17 – at Brookfield, 3:45 pm; Friday, April 20 – at New Milford, 7 pm; Tuesday, April 24 – at Mercy, 4 pm; Saturday, April 28 – at Hand, 1 pm; Monday, April 30 – versus Brookfield, 7 pm.

Thursday, May 3 – at New Fairfield, 3:45 pm; Friday, May 4 – at Ridgefield, 4 pm; Thursday, May 10 – at Joel Barlow, 3:45 pm; Saturday, May 12 – versus New Milford, 10 am; Tuesday, May 15 – at Masuk, 8 pm; Thursday, May 17 – versus New Fairfield, 3:45 pm; Monday, May 21 – versus Joel Barlow, 3:45 pm; Thursday, May 24 – versus Ridgefield, 7 pm.