There was a lot to the Newtown High School girls’ lacrosse team’s season-opening 8-7 win over visiting Fairfield Ludlowe on a rainy April 5 afternoon.

For starters, this was a rematch of last year’s Class LL State Tournament opener, won 12-10 by Ludlowe. The host Nighthawks checked the redemption box in their first matchup of the new campaign. It was also comeback effort as the Nighthawks erased an early two-goal disadvantage and a late 7-6 deficit.

And, while this was quite a team effort, among the high-impact players in the game were two key competitors on completely different paths yet with very similar levels of satisfaction at the end of the day: sophomore Blake Heim-Sherwood and senior Jenna Lagan.

Heim-Sherwood, coming off her freshman year in which she got varsity playing time but was still earning her stripes, had her defining varsity moment — to this point anyway — with four goals, including the game-winner. And Lagan, who had not been on the field since her freshman year after suffering two ACL tears, was back at it making her presence on defense. Both players attributed their newfound success to hard work in the offseason.

Heim-Sherwood said her time in club lacrosse as well as individual training and shooting drills all added up to the game one payoff.

Draw specialist Brooke Bulkley asker her dad, Scott Bulkley — former coach of the NHS boys and who has worked with lacrosse shooters for about 25 years — if he would help out with the offensive players during the offseason. A group of about eight to ten players, including Heim-Sherwood, took about 250 to 300 shots per hour and a half outdoor session, sometimes when temperatures were in the teens.

“Blake was one of the most consistent players and it showed on Saturday. The last shot she took to win the game was a shot she took maybe 1,000 times this winter. Hard work pays off,” Scott Bulkley said.

In addition to the personal success, the team win was particularly rewarding for Heim-Sherwood. “It’s really good to come back and prove it against a good, strong team and show we’re here to play,” she said.

As for Lagan, the journey has been a long one filled with recovery and physical therapy, which she said was tough both physically and mentally, the latter of which continued to be a factor with slippery field conditions, which Lagan said made her a bit cautious.

As for being back with her teammates, Lagan said: “It felt great. They’re basically my family. I probably spend more time with them than my actual family.”

Speaking of this lacrosse family, the efforts of several players made it possible for Heim-Sherwood’s heroics and for Lagan to enjoy a win in her first game back.

After Ludlowe seized the lead the Falcons had possession. Newtown Coach Maura Fletcher said that with Ludlowe stalling to run the clock Newtown changed things defensively to get the ball back. The Hawks put pressure on Ludlowe’s top players and Abby Ihlefeld helped cause a late-game turnover that set the stage for the comeback.

Heim-Sherwood tied the game on a top-corner shot with 2:04 left. The Nighthawks got possession off the ensuing draw, won by Bulkley, and Heim-Sherwood scored the decisive tally on a low shot with just 30 seconds left. Natalie McLean secured possession off the ensuing draw win by Bulkley, and the Nighthawks ran out the clock.

This was Newtown’s first game as a Class L school since bumping down a class size from LL; Ludlowe remains in Class LL. The Nighthawks certainly gained an added jolt of confidence by defeating a larger class size opponent and are hopeful there are plenty more exciting wins to come as they go on a quest for a State Championship. The opening contest certainly had a playoff feel given how close it was and the late-game dramatics.

“Really good nonconference win for us,” Fletcher said.

Newtown fell behind 2-0 and 3-1 before reeling off four consecutive goals. It was 4-3 Nighthawks at the half and Jen Socci’s unassisted tally extended the lead to 5-3 less than a half minute into the third quarter. The teams traded goals with Heim-Sherwood, assisted by Sara Ruddy, making it 6-4 heading to the fourth.

A Nighthawk penalty proved costly with the Falcons capitalizing and scoring three unanswered net-finders to take the lead with 7:58 left before the last two goals by Heim-Sherwood made the difference. Newtown goaltender Emily Sachs came up with seven saves, including timely stops to either keep NHS in the lead or keep the game close throughout the afternoon. Bulkley won a majority of the draws to help the Hawks control the ball. McLean scored twice and Bulkley found the back of the net; Nikki Kaplan had an assist.

Newtown returned to action with a visit to Stratford-Bunnell on April 8 and cruised to a 16-3 win. Bulkley had four goals and five ground balls; McLean logged four goals and two assists; and Heim-Sherwood had two tallies. Kaplan and Socci each had a goal and an assist; and Casey Schnitzler, Ihlefeld, Gabby O’Sullivan, and Keira Campbell also scored. Sachs had four saves.

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