Girls

U10

Weston 4, Newtown Cobras 1: In a loss that does not reflect the competitiveness of the game, the Cobras fell 4-1 to Weston in a fast-paced game that saw numerous strong shots on goal by both teams. Weston’s found the net, the Cobras were not as lucky. The sole Cobra goal came early in the second half by Elizabeth Teixeira who sliced through two defenders for the strong shot; the goal brought the score to 3-1. Playing from behind, however, the Cobras’ risk taking did not pay off, and they ultimately fell to the final score. There were bright spots for the Cobras including Megan Riccardi and Becca Filiato’s strong defensive play in the backfield, with sharp passing through the midfield pushing the ball forward. Offensive pressure was maintained by Cameron Powers, Emma Butler, with Michaela Cosgriff and Riley Burns forcing the issue in the opponent’s goal box. Julia Gerace, Sophia Child, Elizabeth Cassetta and Piper Salva contributed in the midfield. Meghan Delp and Elizabeth Teixeira turned away numerous Weston shots in goal.

Net Rippers 2, Wilton 0: The victory was an all-team effort for sure, with strong offense from Olivia Buchler, Charlotte Branchflower, Olivia Cornett, Gabby Sadowski and Madeline Patrick in both the first and second halves. Morgan Seras had several shots on goal in the first half, one of which was the first team goal. In the second half, Carlie Smith was aggressive with many shots on goal, but eventually Olivia Buchler scored the team’s second goal. Jane Shearin played goalie and had many great saves. Jillian Carrino and Sophia Bajceraided were in the constant defensive pressure that led to the team’s win.

U12

Newtown Dynamite 3, New Canaan Red 2: The Newtown Dynamite entered the game needing a win to ensure a place in the divisional playoffs, and they did not disappoint. Early in, Emma Curtis found herself working through the porous defense for the first score. Jenna Lavelle and Sarah Widmann had opportunities with strikes that were just off frame. New Canaan found what they thought was the equalizer as Jackie Seras came out of the net to clear a fast break. New Canaan secured the cleared ball quickly and made a long shot on an empty goal that rolled in. But the goal was disallowed because of an offside player, allowing the Dynamite to retain a 1-0 lead going into halftime. The Dynamite were not so lucky at the start of the second half as New Canaan scored early to knot the score at one all. The Dynamite continued to pepper the goal with a shot from Carly Swierbut off a cross-along with two shots by Nathalie Schickendantz. Lauren Carrino would get the Dynamite on the board again with a short corner kick to Ali Kelleher. Ali played it back to Carrino for a long right foot shot into the back of the net. Ali Kelleher would not be denied her own goal as she controlled a goal kick from New Canaan, out-maneuvering the goalie and placed it in the net for a 3-1 lead. With time running out, Newtown had a problem clearing the ball from their own goal area and New Canaan made them pay to finish the scoring at 3-2.

U13

Panthers 2, Stamford 0: Down two key strikers, Lauren Russo and Kaitlyn McNicholas, the Panthers relied on their passing game to dominate the field. The girls showed true teamwork with excellent crosses and strong footwork from Catherine Shaw, Kyra Kelly and Mary Hufziger. Dani Otero demonstrated fine play with several key headers and challenges at midfield. Allie Paynter did yeoman’s work challenging the Stamford’s offense and preventing shots on goal. Juliet Grover rose to the occasion and led the Panther’s offense by connecting with the net for all of the goals. Her efforts complimented the strong offensive push led by Audrey Sedensky, Priya Duraney and Sam Crespo. Bryanna Benson and Diana Kirkman showed true leadership on the field defending Panther territory. Greta Staubly rounded out the defensive play containing the ball deep in Stamford territory. Alex Futterman and Maria Ringes split their fine defense of the goal with several shots on goal thwarted by their physical play, with field play.

U14

I Can’t Remember 3, Team Four 0: I Can’t Remember hustled and pressurized Team 4 from start to finish in an exciting match of counter-attacking soccer. Keira Veillette opened the scoring from very long range with a high, arcing shot that dipped under the crossbar to give Team 4’s goalie no chance. The speedy Willow Pears broke through the Team 4’s defense and coolly slotted home the second from a difficult narrow angle after some great work out wide by Jaclyn O’Leary. Team 4 responded and pushed hard to get a goal back, but Jenna Ehnot, then Lauryn Ankers and finally Sarah Brittin proved unbeatable in goal. The highlight move of the game came towards the end of the second half. I Can’t Remember launched a surging attack from the wide left midfield, executing a series of sweeping passes from left to right that pulled Team 4’s defense out of position. Kristina Goeree had pushed up from midfield and found herself unmarked on the right-hand edge of the 6-yard area, pouncing on the final pass to blast home the third and final goal.

Newtown 2, Stamford 0: The Thunder outlasted once defeated Stamford in a well-played contest. Hailey Conrad netted a goal in each half, displaying the skill and determination that has made her one of the top scorers in the league this season. She had a strong supporting cast, as middies Taylor Pare and Kendra Dunnigan and forward Ali Manfredi kept the play in the Stamford half. Lauren King and Claire Beiter disrupted the few offensive charges that Stamford was able to mount. Stef Carr recorded the shutout in goal.

Newtown 2, Norwalk 2: Newtown survived extremely muddy field conditions and qualified for the playoffs with the tie. After Norwalk went up 1-0 in the first half, Newtown responded five minutes later on a goal by Conrad. Defenders Katie Elkins and Olyvia Caplan had a very busy half, working in tandem to keep Norwalk from getting on the board again. Norwalk went up 2-1 in the second half, but again the Thunder answered right back, this time on a great hustle goal by Emily Neave. Newtown dictated play in the second half, as middies Jess Maturo, Julia Sughrue, and Meghan Doyle dominated play with their aggressiveness and pinpoint passing. All added shots on goal, as did Caplan on a direct kick. Mallory Lobuglio and Mia Katsuleres drove the ball downfield from the wing position.

American Eagles 5, Team Two 0: The American Eagles were led by Sarah MacMullan who scored two minutes into the game and again at the 30-minute mark. MacMullan was off to a great start, scoring six goals in the team’s first three games. Caroline Viselli added her second goal in two games, and Megan Nahmias and Grace Sholtes tallied on blistering shots. The offense benefited from the adept passing of Megan Cooney, Olivia Butler, Olivia Falk and Haley Taylor, all of whom earned assists. Justice Zoto tirelessly pressured the ball from her midfield position. Izzy Kaiser and Kaysie Fisher were terrific in goal, making several impressive saves to preserve the shutout.

Boys

U8

Nighthawks 1, Thunderbolts 1: Both teams struggled with the muddy conditions in a finely balanced contest. For the Thunderbolts, Saahil Ray took the lead with an accurate shot from the edge of the 6-yard box. Timmy Gaier was a standout in goal in the third quarter, while Sam Ankers was commanding in defense, breaking up attack after attack. Cameron Ward and Johnny Moxon combined to create several shots at goal for the Thunderbolts. The Nighthawks were able to pounce on an opportunity in front of the Thunderbolt’s goal to grab the equalizer. Aidan Berry connected with the back on the net with the only goal for the Nighthawks and he kept constant pressure on the defense. Andy Zhang played a consistent defensive game and saved many break attempts from the Thunderbolts. Alexander Kyprianou and Thomas Salamy played great the whole game and just missed on several goal attempts. Kyle Ruddy and JP O’Leary led the Nighthawks’ attack with their strong play controlling the center of the field.

U9

Warriors 4, Westport 3: The Newtown Warriors held on to win 4-3 in a tight game against division rivals Westport. Adem Selmani opened the scoring, dropping in a pass from Dylan Petrillo. Westport quickly tied and the score remained 1-1 into half time. Newtown came out shooting, with a nice score by Jake Gonski. Later in the half, Hayden Miller took the ball all the way from midfield up the left side and scored to make it 3-1 and Nate Friesel followed quickly with a breakaway blast from the right. Westport scored two late goals, but it was not enough to overcome excellent play from keeper Ryan Ruddy. Coach Sam Shone’s Warriors improved to 4-2-0 on the season.

U10

Newtown Pythons 4, Ridgefield Fire 4: Scoring goals for Newtown were John Sullivan, CJ Cuomo, Luke Steimel and Neil Kalra. Newtown held the lead at 4-3 with only seconds left when Ridgefield put it all on the line, pulling not only their defense up to score but also their goalie. The extra man proved valuable as they tied the game in the final seconds. Newtown played an aggressive and balanced game, putting on one of their better performances of the season.

Old Greenwich 4, Newtown Blaze 2: Bryce Benson, Jacob Laros, and Justin DeThomas played a great defensive game and showed their determination to clear the ball. Old Greenwich scored three goals in the first half but had several additional shots which were blocked by Tristan Andrews. The Blaze fired back in the second half with two goals by Ryan Beardsley. Kyle Duval, Thomas Armstrong, and Joseph Premus added to the front line pressure with some nice crosses and shots. Ben Futterman and Will Pelisson also hustled throughout. JP Ford tended goal in the second half, letting just one ball find the net.

U11

Newtown United 5, Ridgefield 2: Ethan Correia’s four goals and a strong defensive effort led Newtown United to a 5-2 victory over Ridgefield in a battle of first-place teams at Ridgefield Sunday. With the victory, Newtown improved to 5-1, claimed sole possession of the top spot in its division and rebounded from a last-minute, controversial 1-0 loss at Wilton the previous week. Newtown opened the scoring Sunday with a goal from Justin Jarvis. Two goals by Correia gave the locals a 3-1 halftime lead. Immediately after the half, Correia netted two more goals, giving Newtown a 5-1 advantage.

Newtown’s defensive pressure and solid goaltending from Rick Irving (first half) and Jeff Gioiele (second half) helped turn back pressure from Ridgefield’s strikers for the majority of the contest. Hunter Kirkman, Taylor Clark-Paivo, Devin Johnson, Jonathan Liberante and Gioiele keyed the defensive pressure on Ridgefield, which had scored 18 goals in five previous games.

Overall, Newtown has allowed only seven goals in six games this season. The offensive output was also sparked by sharp midfield play and crisp passing from Kirkman, Zachary Masone, Ryan Kraus, Constantine Kyprianou, Jake Pare, Eli Delp, Irving and Jarvis. On the season, Newtown has scored 23 goals, with Correia scoring six over the past three games alone.

U13

Titans 9, Norwalk 5: The Newtown Titans won for the fourth time in as many weeks, coming out on top of a 9-5 shootout with the Norwalk JSA Blue Wolves. The Titans improved to 5-1-0 on the season to stay atop their division. Sunday’s action was a display of Newtown’s deep offensive capabilities as four players notched two goals apiece. Norwalk took an early 1-0 lead, but Newtown answered quickly with a stinger from Henry Petrillo that hit the cross bar and was chased in by Grant Larson to tie the game. Jack Oltran scored next on a corner kick from Santiago Forero to take the lead. The remainder of the first half saw consistent scoring from the Newtown wings, with Danny Arneth and Aidan O’Leary each putting in two goals. Up 6-1 at the half, Newtown conceded three unanswered points to Norwalk’s quick offense to make the game 6-4. But Newtown took control again with a gritty Oltran goal and two more off the left foot of Thomas Skrelja to put the game permanently out of reach despite a late goal by Norwalk.