By Kim J. Harmon

 

Casey Frobey had been a pretty good soccer player as a sophomore at Newtown High School, but when she hit the field as a junior she was a different player – a great player.

That incredible transformation – so obvious, even in the 5-1 season opening thrashing of Immaculate – can be attributed to her determination to succeed. But playing with the U23 Yankee United Magic (with NHS teammates Mary Anders, Tara Gaston and Alex Konneker) against collegiate-level players certainly helped.

“We had to play faster and more physical,” said Casey, 17, who also made the Olympic Development Program (ODP). “My skills definitely got better and I had a lot more confidence. I learned to use my body a lot more. That comes from competing with older players.”

Casey was so dominant in 2004, she provided nearly half – that’s right, nearly half – of Newtown’s 67 total goals. She finished with 31 tallies (Konneker was second on the team with 13) and assisted on 15 others (only two other players had more than three – Konneker with 13 and Anders with 11).

With that 5-1 win over Immaculate starting them off, the Lady Nighthawks reeled off nine straight wins before suffering a 3-2 loss to Masuk. Then the ‘Hawks put together four more wins before suffering a 2-1 loss to Joel Barlow and finishing the regular season at 13-2.

“We had lost a lot of seniors and we thought we could be in trouble,” said Casey, “but once we got the team together we knew we would be a good team – but not quite as good as we ended up.”

A South-West Conference championship eluded the ‘Hawks, though, thanks to a dismal 2-1 loss to Immaculate in the semi-finals.

“We didn’t do anything right,” said Casey. “We just stopped playing.”

But more than anything that loss was a wake up call for the ‘Hawks and it spurred them on towards four straight wins and a CIAC Class LL state championship.

“We were sitting around watching the boys’ (SWC) final and after the game we were thinking we should have been there,” said Casey. “And once we beat Amity that got us pumped.”

The ‘Hawks defeated Amity, 1-0, in double overtime at Blue & Gold Stadium. Casey – who else? – scored the game-winner with 1:08 left before the shootout. She fielded a pass in the box, spun between two Amity defenders, and drilled a high shot to the back of the net.

Then came a 2-1 win over Mercy in the Class LL semifinals (in which Casey scored once) and the 2-0 win over Trumbull in the Class LL finals (in which Casey scored once again). It was a marvelous run and a marvelous individual season.

But her year was far from over.

After spending the winter indoors with the South Central Diamond soccer team (which played in a Florida tournament), Casey took to her new love – lacrosse. And like with soccer, she hit the field with a new level of confidence.

“I had always wanted to play lacrosse,” said Casey, “and (sophomore year) was my first. But, overall, I’ve grown more confident in myself as a player – and that also comes from being older and having more experience.”

She scored only seven goals as a sophomore as she learned the skill set and nuances of the game. This past spring, though, she finished with 24 goals and 10 assists while dominating the face-off and helping lead the Lady Nighthawks to their second South-West Conference championship. She became such an integral part of the offense – especially in the wake of Meg Regnery’s knee injury – that the ‘Hawks would run a basic iso play just for her.

Casey made such a quantum leap with her ability one has to wonder about next year. One can also ask, “Can she do any better?” But that would be like asking Michelangelo to paint a ceiling even better than the one at the Sistene Chapel.

“I think about soccer sometimes and I hope I can do as well next year,” she said. “We definitely want to defend the Class LL title. We want to finally win an SWC title. And I want to beat Barlow.”

She has the motivation, the determination, and the familial support to do it.

“My father (Dave) was my travel soccer coach when I was young and I always like talking to him about soccer,” said Casey. “My parents are always there for me and always willing to do whatever I need for soccer.”