There’s no question that goal scorers have played a significant role in the success of Newtown High School’s field hockey team, but if not for solid defensive efforts in many of their games, the Nighthawks wouldn’t have pulled out wins, or salvaged overtime points.

Sparked by first-half goals off the sticks of Lauren Zimmerman and Alison Kelleher, and supported by a tremendous defensive and goaltending performance, the Nighthawks edged visiting Lauralton Hall of Milford 2-1 in a game under the lights at Blue & Gold Stadium on October 14.

In a reunion of former conference rivals, the South-West Conference’s Nighthawks handed the Southern Connecticut Conference’s Crusaders a loss, despite surrendering 19 shots toward the cage.

Newtown’s defense blocked many of Lauralton’s scoring attempts, and goaltender Natalie Shaker was there to make ten saves. Lauralton generated 17 penalty corners but couldn’t muster a goal until the final four minutes of the game.

Megan Goyda and Zimmerman earned assists in the win, as the Nighthawks handed the Crusaders just their second loss in 11 games.

Goyda, Katie Cappelli, and Kayla DiSibio have been outstanding on defense throughout the campaign, Newtown Coach Stephanie Paproski said.

“We work a lot on communication and make sure everybody’s marking up in the circle,” DiSibio said of one of Newtown’s defense’s keys to success.

An advantage the Nighthawks have in the back is familiarly as the defenders have played together for multiple seasons. “We work really well together,” DiSibio said.

Although penalty corners may give offenses a nice opportunity to set up a shot on goal off the end-line inset, committing fouls inside the circle that lead to these corners isn’t the worst thing a defense can do.

“They can definitely be good,” DiSibio of penalty corners for the other team, noting that in transition offenses may have an advantage in numbers and the defense committing a violation allows the other defenders to get back in time to help out when the ball is put back into play. Very often, a well-executed corner results in a blast of a shot from straightaway.

“It’s pretty nerve-wracking. Sometimes we can get nailed pretty hard off those. We’re taking one for the team — you can get some pretty nice bruises,” DiSibio said.

Not only are Newtown’s defenders good at getting in the way of shots, but they have a knack for moving the ball up field to help generate offensive pressure at the other end of the field.

“They play a very long-ball game. They have hard drives so they get it far when they need to,” Shaker said.

Newtown was outshot significantly in a 1-0 overtime loss at Joel Barlow of Redding earlier in the month, but managed that point for getting the game into OT thanks to Shaker and the defense. The Hawks have shut out six teams this fall, most recently blanking host New Fairfield 3-0 on October 13. Shannon Lynch, Emily Dirga, and Zimmerman scored in the triumph.

The Hawks got a goal from Lynch in a 3-1 loss to visiting Brookfield on October 16. They visited Watertown in a nonconference game on October 19, and bounced back with a 4-1 triumph. DiSibio, Zimmerman, Alison Kelleher, and Goyda scored, and Zimmerman and Emily Dirga had assists. Shaker made five saves.

Newtown, which is 8-3-1-1 (wins, losses, ties, overtime losses), visits Immaculate of Danbury on Friday, October 23, starting at 3:45 pm; goes to Ridgefield on Monday, October 26, for a 6:30 pm game (originally scheduled for 5:30 pm as listed in the print edition of The Bee, but changed after print deadline; and caps off the regular slate with a rematch with Barlow when the Falcons visit Blue & Gold Stadium on Tuesday, October 27, starting at 7 pm.

The Lauralton game was Newtown’s Play4TheCure game to raise funds for the National Foundation for Cancer Research, and players wore special pink uniforms. The Nighthawks helped raise $1,598, mostly at the game, with some of the funds coming through the team website.