Newtown High School's girls' lacrosse team defeated visiting Shelton 17-5 in the Class L state tournament qualifying round, at Blue & Gold Stadium, on May 27.

The No. 16 Nighthawks built a 9-2 halftime lead on No. 17 Shelton. With the win, the Hawks advance to face top-seeded Darien in the first round. Darien will host Newtown on Tuesday, May 31, beginning at 5 pm.

Alex Futterman and Brianna Sclafani both scored three goals; Charli Condon, Julia Sughrue, Hana Rosenthal, and Lu Hage all scored twice; and Julia Wiberg, Keeley Kortze, and Nevan Gattey all hit the back of the net.

Sughrue and Wiberg both had two assists, and Futterman, Condon, Kortze, Rosenthal, and Alison Kelleher all added helpers.

Nighthawk goaltender Tess Davenport made nine saves. Newtown, led by Futterman's efforts, controlled 14 of 21 draws. Newtown Coach Amanda Mastera noted that the Nighthawks did a good job of causing turnovers, and pointed to the play of Brittany Meisenheimer, Ali Paynter, and Sughrue, in particular.

"I think we really moved the ball well. We came out strong and played the whole game hard," Sughrue said.

The Nighthawks, regardless of how far they go in the state tourney, have already had a nice season. That's especially given the team didn't qualify for the playoffs a year ago, and not only earned spots in both the South-West Conference tourney and state bracket, but picked up wins in the openers of each tournament. Mastera's team has improved throughout the season.

"I think that's a testament to just how hard we've been working," the coach said.

Although Darien is obviously a tough draw, the Nighthawks enter into the game with optimism.

"On any given day any team is beatable," said Mastera, who coaches offseason travel lacrosse for the Connecticut Grizzlies, along with Darien Coach Lisa Lindley.