Boys' Soccer-Hawks Look Sharp As They Try To Bounce Back From Tough 2008 Finish
Boysâ Soccerâ
Hawks Look Sharp As They Try To Bounce Back From Tough 2008 Finish
By Andy Hutchison
The season(s) could not have ended in much more heart-breaking fashion for the Newtown High School boysâ soccer team last fall. Not only did the Nighthawks fall in penalty kicks in the South-West Conference Tournamentâs semifinals, but they fell in PKs in the first round of the state tourney as well.
Coach Brian Neumeyer and his returnees are hoping to get back to the postseason and have some better luck this time around. As preseason came to a close this week, Neumeyer said he was impressed with how good his players looked.
âThe sharpness and quickness is really high right now for this time of the year,â he said before the season-opener against Brookfield on Tuesday.
Newtown got off to a nice start with a 2-1 win over Brookfield, one of the teamâs biggest rivals and a school Neumeyer said would be among the toughest in the conference.
Newtown takes the field with a slightly different look from a year ago. Among five graduates who leave cleats to fill are Andrew Meisel and Chris Marks.
Goalkeeping duties are up for grabs on a day-to-day basis with Zach Dloughy, Ishan Tatake, Jason Marks and RJ Roman, all vying for time manning the nets.
âDay in and day out, theyâre going to have to prove themselves in practice,â said Neumeyer, adding that he would go with the hot hand in each game.
Senior captains are midfielder/forward Evan Kennedy, fullback/midfielder Matt Slattery and utility player Jeff DiNicola who can contribute anywhere on the field, the coach said. Other key players are senior fullback Sam Hoagland and senior midfielder/forward Eric Thornberg.
The coach is optimistic that this yearâs version of the Nighthawks will have a balanced scoring attack.
âI donât think weâre going to hang our hat on just one player,â he said.
âI think our strength is going to be the maturity level and the work ethic of the group,â Neumeyer added. âThey want to win.â
Tough SWC rivals to keep an eye on, in addition to Brookfield, are Joel Barlow, Pomperaug, and Masuk ... but donât forget to watch out for the Nighthawks who are hungry for success after last yearâs close-but-no-cigar finish.
âI think they really want to win this year,â Neumeyer said.
So far, so good. The 1-0 Hawks visit Kolbe Cathedral on September 18 and return home September 21 to host Oxford at Blue & Gold Stadium at 3:45 pm.