NHS Girls’ Lacrosse Falls In Overtime—

Infraction-Filled Elimination Game Frustrates Top-Seeded Hawks

By Andy Hutchison

With a chance to end five seasons of FCIAC-induced misery and, more importantly, advance to the Class L State Tournament’s semifinals, Newtown High School’s girls’ lacrosse team came up a goal short in overtime. No. 8 Fairfield Ludlowe pulled out a 14-13 OT win over the top-seeded Nighthawks in the state tourney quarterfinals at Blue and Gold Stadium on June 6.

The game, a whistle-filled contest from start to finish, was one Newtown Coach Maura Fletcher thought her team could have won if not for the way in which the game was called. Both teams had a multitude of free position shots resulting from various infractions, and three Nighthawks were yellow-carded and had to leave the game in the second of two overtime periods.

Ludlowe overcame an 11-7 deficit in the final 11 minutes to tie the game at 12 and force a pair of three-minute overtime sessions. The visiting Falcons got six goals from Kendall Stevenson, including both of their tallies in OT. She broke a tie with just 24 seconds remaining in the second extra session and Newtown couldn’t tie the game despite a chance in the final seconds.

Kaitlyn VosWinkel got the ball off of the final faceoff, charged the goal area to earn a free position shot, but was whistled for an illegal shot because a Ludlowe defender got into her path. With less than five seconds on the clock at the time of her shot, VosWinkel had little to no time to back off and make a pass.

Newtown’s leading scorer, Kaitlin Brophy, who led the Nighthawks with four goals and had knotted the score on a free position shot in early in the second OT, watched the final minutes from the sideline after receiving a yellow card when she was called for a violation. VosWinkel and Meaghan Carney also were carded.

“I think with a different set of officials on the field it might have been a different outcome because they made tighter calls today than we’re used to play with,” Fletcher said. “But it was our game right down until the end and the three yellow cards in the last three minutes just killed us.”

Fletcher credited Ludlowe for winning the ground ball battle and giving the Hawks trouble on faceoffs. Newtown won just six draws, and Ludlowe gained possession off more than 20.

The Nighthawks, who haven’t lost to a South-West Conference opponent since 2006, also haven’t beaten an FCIAC team since ’06. It appeared for a while as if things might change against Ludlowe. Newtown led 8-6 late in the first half before the Falcons found the net just before the halftime horn sounded. The Nighthawks held their counterparts scoreless for the first 14 minutes of the second half and built a lead behind the efforts of Brophy and Emma Kingsley, who scored three times. Carney and Katie Canavan each had a goal and an assist. NHS goaltender Celeste Cheung came up with 14 saves and Jill Moffitt made 11 for the Falcons. Sarah Nesi scored four times for the Falcons.

It’s not uncommon for officials to hear it from coaches and fans alike, but some angry fans drove out of the parking lot while yelling at the officials following easily the most tightly called game Newtown has had this year.

It was a tough end to a memorable season, which included a seventh straight conference crown, for the Hawks.

“I told them they have nothing to be ashamed of today — they played their hearts out,” Fletcher said.

Newtown advanced to the quarterfinals with a convincing 17-6 win over No. 17 and visiting South Windsor on June 2. Brophy led the way with six goals and a pair of assists and Canavan netted five goals and added a helper to go along with a team-high five ground ball scoops. Carney had two goals and three assists, and Erin Brown had one goal and three assists. Cassie Ekstrom came up with four interceptions, and Cheung made a dozen stops between the pipes.

The coach said she will miss her seniors, but adds that up-and-coming varsity players are ready to fill their shoes next spring.