Girls

U8

All-Stars 1, Crushing Warriors 0: The All-Stars and the Crushing Warriors both brought their “A-games” and waged a classic clash between two teams exhibiting impressive skill, speed, determination, and superior defensive shows. The All-Stars were ready from the start of the game as the offense showed their strength with Nora Kolb and Nora Kliczewski attacking the opponents’ net. Isabella Gerace, Alyssa Jones, and Katie Zaniewski spearheaded a Crushing Warrior defense that toiled hard to halt the charges and put on a fine defensive display, capped by stellar goal play from Samantha Kuruc. It wasn’t until a breakaway by Caroline Drew, with a pass to Kyra Masone to net the lone goal, that the All-Stars were finally on the board. Amelia Bajcer, Sarah Bertsche, and Emily Dunford ignited the Crushing Warrior’s offense as they mounted several attacks of their own, leading to fine shots on goal from Maggie Breault and Samantha Kuruc. However, the All-Stars formidable defense rose up to the challenge and, coupled with the keeper play by Haley Austerman and Molly Lyddy, shut down the charges.

U9

Darien 2, Tigers 1: Shannon Kelleher, Catie Teixeira, and Maggie LaBanca had several strong offensive presses and Izzy Butler and Sienna Harper both saved several shots during goalkeeping duties. Taegan Smith and Victoria Stevenson also stood out defensively this week with several clearing kicks. Abby Stites had the lone goal for the Tigers with a successful penalty kick.

U10

Net Rippers 2, Darien 1: Gwen Drew, Mary Sortino, and Jillian Carrino all had quality scoring opportunities but couldn’t find the back of the net earl on. Carly Smith and Paige Farley anchored a stingy Newtown defense that rarely allowed Darien past midfield. Darien did manage one scoring opportunity in the half, but goalie Jane Shearin made an athletic save to end the threat.

In the second half, Shearin had three shots on goal and Olivia Buchler unleashed a blast, but the Darien goalie continued to stand up to the pressure. The Net Rippers finally broke the scoreless tie when Smith moved up from her defensive position and drilled a shot into the top right-hand corner of the goal. After Darien tied it, Newtown goalie Morgan Seras kept the game even by making three saves, with one of those saves coming on a breakaway with what looked to be a sure Darien goal. With less than five minutes to go in the game, the Net Rippers’ hard work and desire finally paid off. Seras, now playing a forward position, snuck behind the Darien defense and ripped a shot that hit the post and bounced to her teammate Buchler, who buried it for the decisive goal and a hard-fought 2-1 victory.

Newtown Cobras 3, Easton 0: Julia Gerace and Michaela Cosgriff combined for the shutout in goal and Elizabeth Teixeira provided all the scoring with a hat trick in a game that the Cobras had well in hand early. Teixiera’s first goal came on a cross through traffic from Sophia Child; her second was unassisted when she jumped on an Easton goal kick; and the third came off a perfectly executed corner kick from Michaela Cosgriff. The Cobras’ trademark suffocating defense, which has allowed far less than a goal a game in league play, was led by Becca Filiato, Megan Riccardi, and Meghan Delp. Strong foot skills and smart passing in the midfield by Riley Burns, Emma Butler, and Piper Salva fed the strikers keeping Easton back on its heels. Katie Stan, Elizabeth Cassetta, and Cameron Powers had numerous shots on goal that were turned away late by the Easton goalie. The Cobras continue to gel as the season progresses and remain strong contenders for the division title.

 

U11

Wolfpack 3, Monroe 2: The Wolfpack pulled out the win in the final minutes of a close game this weekend. Karsen Pirone, and Sarah Tressler each netted one for the Pack and Kaitlyn King put a third one in on a penalty kick. King also split successful goalkeeping duties with Hannah Groonell. Laura Augenbraun also stood out offensively, along with Bella Manfredi at midfield, while Hannah Daley and Malia Gioffre held together a strong defense.

U12

Dynamite 1, Stamford 0: The U12 Newtown Dynamite traveled to Stamford to take on the division leading Hurricanes and came away with a physical, hard-fought win. Just eight minutes into the contest, Lauren Carrino found the back of the net with a lofting shot from just inside the penalty box. Newtown kept relentless pressure on the Hurricanes as Emily Celentano had multiple opportunities from crosses sent in by Katie Sailer and Gabby Reisert that either went high or just wide of the goal. Newtown had their foot on the gas the entire first half with nearly everyone on the field contributing. If it wasn’t Ali Kelleher or Nathalie Schickendantz driving the wings, it was Jenna Lavelle and Audrey Benson preventing any penetration by Stamford into the defensive end. The Hurricane’s goalie made some fantastic saves that limited the first half damage to only one goal.

Newtown picked up where they left off in the second half with multiple opportunities on goal by Emma Curtis, Emily Celentano, and Katie Sailer. The Hurricanes would have their best chances of the game later in the second half as they made some great runs and took advantage of some set pieces. As Newtown’s offense sputtered, the Hurricanes picked up. The Dynamite started to feel the pressure as the Hurricanes made some shots on frame and some fast breaks that required Rebecca Gavel to come out of the box to challenge. On Stamford’s last fast break, Gavel charged and halted the advance of the charging striker, but the ball continued to travel toward the net. Lindsay Merrifield tracked it down and was able to clear it off the goal line just short of going into the goal.

Newtown 2, Bridgeport 1: Bridgeport All Starz battled hard with the U12 Newtown Dynamite throughout the game playing better than their last place standing would indicate. Lauren Adams got the Dynamite on the board first by striking a ball received off a free kick from Lauren Carrino. The ball was deflected by an All Starz defender, giving their goalie no chance for the save. Carly Swierbut then raced down the left side and angled toward the goal for a one-on-one opportunity. She placed a hard shot that banked off the near post for Rebecca Gavel to clean up and deposit for a 2-0 lead going into half. Gabby Reisert, Samantha Bicho, and Kristen Cirone continued the fine defensive play to keep Bridgeport off the score sheet until 17 minutes left in the game. The All Starz would net their lone goal with a breakaway down the middle of the field to beat the charging Dynamite goalie.

Boys

U9

Darien 6, Warriors 3: The Warriors jumped out to an early lead on a successful penalty kick by Nate Friesel. Darien countered to make it 1-1 early. Newtown took back the lead with a goal by Adem Selmani, assisted by Greg Gargano. At the half, the score was 2-2 after Darien scored on a penalty kick. Things looked promising at the start of the second half when Selmani set up Hayden Miller to take back the lead, but Darien battled back and pulled away.

U10

Westport 2, Newtown Pythons 0: Even with the great effort put in by Chase Yeaton and Dan Delia the Pythons were unable to push the ball into the net. CJ Cuomo led the charge alongside Ryder Palumbo with very strong defensive play for the Pythons.

U11

Westport 5, Newtown Blaze 0: The Newtown Blaze fought hard and had several opportunities to advance throughout their recent home game against Westport. Will Pelisson played a superb game, with both strong defense and his ability to move the ball forward up the field to feed to the strikers. Bryce Benson, Justin DeThomas, and Jacob Laros also showed strong defensive plays; Laros stopped several offending plays and DeThomas did a great job hustling back on several occasions to deliver more reinforcement to his team’s defense. Joseph Preemus had good hustle and tried to apply pressure against his opponents. Kyle Duval demonstrated some fancy footwork and touches to advance the ball toward the goal. Ryan Beardsley showed his fierce competitive spirit and constant pressure to try and get Newtown on the board with several shots on goal. Tristan Andrews and JP Ford shared goal tending, both with some great saves.

U13

Titans 4, Norwalk 3: The Titans improved to 4-1 in their division to remain at the top. The win came courtesy of striker Jack Oltran’s amazing performance, scoring all four goals in a back-and-forth battle. Norwalk jumped to an early lead, scoring its first goal in the first minute of play. Newtown quickly came back to tie and then take the lead on an Oltran header. Norwalk evened the score 2-2 going into half time. In the second half, Norwalk again took the lead before Oltran was able to equalize at 3-3 with a header. A great looping shot from 20 yards sealed the deal. Newtown was able to hold off Norwalk for the final 15 minutes of play, with smart backline defense and excellent goalkeeping from Michael Greenspan.