Newtown High School's girls' lacrosse team, coming off its return to South-West Conference prominence with a Division I SWC championship, will look to be in contention to repeat this spring and make a run in the state playoffs. The Nighthawks, led by Coach Maura Fletcher in her second year of her second stint with the program after guiding it to ten consecutive conference titles, have plenty of experience back in the mix.

Captains are attack players Alex Futterman and Dylan Zahansky.

Key returnees include defenders Lauren Carrino, Cassidy Kortze, and Ali Paynter, as well as midfielder Charli Condon, and attack player Hana Rosenthal. Goaltenders Tess Davenport and Catie Gregory are vying for time in goal.

"It's a pretty seasoned group. Especially early in the year they won't have those butterflies like some of the younger girls do early in the season," Fletcher said.

Despite the run of success under Fletcher's watch, the coaches don't want to convey any pressure to maintain the winning tradition.

"Every year's different. I never say to them 'this is what we're going to do,'" Fletcher said.

That said, with hard work and if the players don't take anything for granted they can contend for another championship, the coach said.

Each year, that path to the top seems to get harder and harder. In addition to traditionally tough schools Pomperaug of Southbury, New Fairfield, Joel Barlow of Redding, and Weston - which Newtown defeated in a come-from-behind effort to claim last year's title - are some improving squads.

"The programs are getting better and better because the girls are playing in the offseason," Fletcher notes.

Last year, the Nighthawks went unbeaten in SWC play, including a two-goal win over Weston, and three-goal victories over Joel Barlow and New Fairfield.

Newtown lost only a few seniors to graduation but among them was the team's top scorer in Julia Sughrue. Futterman is the top returning goal scorer, and the coaches anticipate a variety of teammates picking up the slack.

"I'm interested to see what it's going to look like. I think, potentially, it can come from a lot of players," Assistant Coach Jim Kenning said.

Last year, Newtown was edged in a one-goal nail-biter by Ridgefield, and lost to Fairfield Warde during tough regular-season matchups. The Hawks went 14-2 overall and earned the top seed in the Class L bracket. They defeated No. 17 Hall of West Hartford in the first round before being eliminated by No. 8 New Canaan, a solid FCIAC school, in the second round.

Warde, Glastonbury, Ridgefield, and Cheshire are all top-ten state teams on the schedule, the coaches note, that stand to help prepare the Nighthawks for success in the SWC and gear them up for state playoff competition.

"Those should be really challenging games," Fletcher said.

The season begins on Tuesday, April 3, when Immaculate of Danbury visits Blue & Gold Stadium for a 7 pm contest. The Hawks visit Notre Dame-Fairfield on Thursday, April 5, at 4 pm.

The Hawks play five of the next six games on the road; Bethel visits Treadwell Park on Wednesday, April 11 at 4 pm.

In a rematch of the South-West Conference championship battle, Weston comes to Blue & Gold Stadium on Tuesday, May 1, for a 7 pm faceoff. Six of Newtown's last seven games are at home.