Coach Adan Bourret takes over the Newtown High School girls’ soccer team this fall and looks to continue the program’s tradition of being in the mix for a South-West Conference championship. Bourret has several aspirations and a plan to prepare the Nighthawks for winning ways.

“Beyond the expected goals of finishing in the top four, competing for the SWC title, and making the state tournament, our team has three main goals. We want our players to improve their individual skills each day, develop a tactical understanding of their formation and positions, and continue to build team chemistry on and off the field. We have begun to accomplish this by tailoring our training sessions to contain a little bit of each of those elements,” he said. “The strengths of our team are built around overall team cohesion and being disciplined as a team.”

Newtown’s captains are center midfielder Kenzie Del Pozo, center defender Izzy Caron, and midfielder Ella Morits. Other key team members include defenders Aashni Shetty, Jamie Rowan, and Maddy Gioiele; forward Sydney Oltran; center midfielders Sarah Premus and Brooke Jackson; and midfielder Lola Kessler and Leah Morris. Goalkeepers Penelope Warren and Grace Newsom are vying for time guarding the net.

Defending SWC champ Notre Dame-Fairfield, runner-up Brookfield, and a Bethel team that was seeded third and upset by the sixth-seeded Nighthawks in last year’s tourney quarterfinals, are among the toughest teams the Hawks will encounter in conference play, Bourret anticipates.

The Hawks begin the regular season with what stands to be a challenging nonconference game when Daniel Hand of Madison visits Saturday, September 9, at 1 pm. Suffield, scheduled to visit Saturday, October 7 at 11 am, should provide another non-SWC test.

“Our team is focused on working hard each and every day. The leadership from our captains throughout the summer and into the preseason has been phenomenal. Having just taken the program over this fall, we are looking to develop an identity as a team and focusing on learning a new tactical approach to the game,” Bourret said. “I am beyond excited to get the season started. The preseason has been an exciting time of evaluating players and seeing how each one fits into our program. This is a great group of student-athletes who are looking to do their best on the field and make their town proud.”

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