By Kim J. Harmon

The Newtown High School field hockey team expected – and rightly so – that its first win of the 2001 season would have come in the first week or, at worst (if you figure in the potential for rain), the second week.

But almost three weeks into the season, the Nighthawks – essentially the same team that went 7-8-1 a year ago and qualified for the CIAC Class L state tournament – was still looking for its first victory.

It finally came – on Tuesday, a 2-0 decision at the expense of Immaculate High School.

The win put the ‘Hawks at 1-4-2.

“We have the skills and the team unity and we’re playing to a level where we are dominating some games,” said co-captain Jessica Omasta, who scored once in the win, “but we’re not getting the ball into the goal.”

The two goals the ‘Hawks notched against the Lady Mustangs were only their third and fourth goals of the year – and the first two not scored by someone named Sloan Schnell.

“We haven’t been finishing in the circle,” said Omasta.

The ‘Hawks had some high expectations entering the 2001 season, but at 1-4-2 will have to start hustling to earn enough points to qualify for the state tournament. Fortunately, a strong attitude is still there.

“It’s really weird,” said Omasta. “You’d think we’d be down, but every game we’re bringing some inspirational thing with us or doing something to try and keep our spirits up.”

It worked on Tuesday.

“We needed this,” said Omasta.

Especially after losing a tough, 1-0 game to Weston and only coming away with a 1-1 tie against Joel Barlow (goal by Schnell) . . . two instances in which the ‘Hawks probably had figured to gain a win.

Elissa Boushell got the Nighthawks off on the right footing on Tuesday. With 24:09 left in the first half, she received – while on a push down field – a beautiful feed from Morgan Pacheco (who seemed to have sliced right through the Immaculate defense) and rifled a hard shot into the cage to give the ‘Hawks a 1-0 lead.

Like Omasta said, Newtown did dominate. But Immaculate also had its own rushed down the field and managed to test goaltender Heather Morgan more than a few times. With 18 minutes to go in the half, Morgan had to withstand a 30-second flurry of pressure before turning the Lady Mustangs away.

With 5:30 left in the first half, Morgan turned away three more shots to maintain the 1-0 lead. Rachel Bolmer, Dana Matrenson and Pacheco, meanwhile, were doing what they could up front to increase the lead.

But to no avail.

No avail, that is, until 17:47 was left in the second half. On a penalty corner, Ellie Champagne knocked a ball into Kristen McGrath at the top of the circle. With a little flick of her stick, McGrath passed the ball through her legs to Omasta, who was behind her. With a strong stroke, the senior co-captain propelled the ball into the cage and put Newtown ahead, 2-0.

It could have been even better, too, as with 4:55 left to play Bolmer just missed putting a backhanded shot inside the left post.

The ‘Hawks were down in Brookfield on Thursday (after press time) and next Tuesday will host Bethel in a 7 pm contest (the ‘Hawks opened the 2001 season with a 0-0 tie against Bethel). A rematch with Weston will follow on Thursday, October 11.