The top-seeded Newtown High School's girls' soccer team defeated No. 8 Joel Barlow of Redding 3-0 in the South-West Conference Tournament quarterfinals, at Blue and Gold Stadium — proving its ability to step it up during big games.

Newtown maintained control throughout the majority of the game, having a flurry of shot opportunities from the start. It was not until there was 9:17 left in the first half that Newtown struck. Karsen Pirone gave Newtown a 1-0 lead at the half.

Newtown came out strong in the second half, too, Pirone providing a majority of the shots. However, with 17:12 left, it was Sydney Howard who found the back of the net, extending the lead to two. And with just over four minutes in the second half, Captain Emma Curtis sealed the game with Newtown’s third goal. Newtown’s high energy throughout the game was noticeable, and a reason the Nighthawks are the top-ranked team in the conference.

The SWC tournament is a time where play can get tougher, but Newtown still proved to be successful.

“If we lose we pack up the balls and the pinnies and the cones and go home. But we treat the regular season as the preliminary to prepare us for this. We need to keep playing well and playing hard to put ourselves in a position to advance,” Head Coach Marc Kenney said.

And during this match against Joel Barlow, the Nighthawks demonstrated they can play hard and at the high level needed to win the tournament.

“We had a lot of heart and played hard, and I think that really showed. Also, we played with class,” Curtis said.

Similarly to Curtis, Captain Keeley Kortze felt the Hawks played strongly and showed they were in it to win it.

“We really wanted to win and I think that showed by how we played. We all want to make it to the next round, too,” Kortze said.

With Newtown’s sizable amount of skill, high energy, and preparation and focus on winning the championship, they will try to run the table.

“I think the stakes are certainly a little higher, but the thing about it is we’re preparing for it all season long. It’s like we were shot out of a cannon to this point of trying to win it all, and hopefully we’ve prepared enough,” Kenney said.

Newtown will take its momentum into a successful next round. Newtown will host No. 5 Immaculate of Danbury in the semifinals on Tuesday, October 30, beginning at 7 pm.