Five Straight Conference Crowns For The Girls

By Andy Hutchison

SOUTHBURY — If the Newtown High School girls’ lacrosse team keeps it up, the players and coaches will have to use fingers on both hands to keep track of their conference titles.

Top-seeded Newtown won its fifth straight South-West Conference crown by defeating No. 2 Brookfield 17-12 under the lights at Pomperaug High on Tuesday night.

After Newtown jumped out to a 2-0 lead practically before Brookfield’s players could blink (the Nighthawks netted two goals only 35 seconds into the game), it looked like the Nighthawks would run away with yet another championship. But things got interesting — fast. Brookfield fought back and held a few leads and even built an 8-5 advantage before Newtown went on a late first-half run to seize a 10-8 halftime advantage.

With a chance to build a 9-5 lead, Brookfield’s Jackie Brown clanked a shot off the crossbar. Newtown’s Emma Kingsley scooped up the loose ball and fed Meghan Bridges, who scored to end Brookfield’s run and start a run of Newtown’s own with 6:21 to play in the opening half.

“I think we all got fired up,” Kingsley said of the team’s answering scoring run late in the half.

The Nighthawks were in complete control in the second half and ate time off the clock after building a 17-11 lead.

“Never in my wildest dream did I think it would be five years in a row,” NHS Coach Maura Fletcher said.

It looked for a while as if the run could stop at four.

“We really didn’t take care of the ball. We weren’t setting our offense and running our offense like we normally do,” Fletcher said of the early-game struggles.

“I don’t think we were as mentally prepared as we should have been,” said Betsy Vendel, who helped the Nighthawks turn things around with a four-goal effort. Vendel earned tourney MVP honors.

“Our defense really stepped up and caused a lot of turnovers which really helped us,” said Vendel, adding that sharp passing and a smooth transition game also aided the turnaround.

Lisa Vendel and Kaitlin Brophy also scored four goals. Brophy also had three assists and Jackie Isabella had a goal and two assists. Goaltender Marnie Thompson stopped a handful of shots, and came up with some clutch stops to help her Hawks build on the lead.

Newtown had defeated Masuk 17-2 in the quarterfinals behind three goals apiece by Brophy and Betsy Vendel and two goals each off the sticks of Isabella, Meghan Carney, Lisa Vendel and Kaley Kruger. In the semifinals on May 29, Newtown beat New Milford 21-12. Carney and Bridges both netted four goals and Lisa Vendel had three goals and three assists.

It is possible that the Nighthawks will face Brookfield again this weekend. Newtown is seeded fifth in the Division I state tourney and, after a bye, will host the winner of the Brookfield-Conard tilt in the first round at 5 pm.

“It’s hard to beat a team two times and harder to beat a team three times,” Fletcher said.

The coach said she will remind her players that, two years ago, they knocked off Joel Barlow twice before being upset by the Falcons in the first round of states.

If Newtown gets through its first opponents, the Hawks will play in a quarterfinal round game on Monday.