DANBURY — When Newtown High School’s field hockey team, the No. 3 seed in the bracket, upset top seed New Milford 2-0 in the South-West Conference Tournament Championship game, at Western Connecticut State University on Sunday night, October 27, it was a full-circle moment for the seniors.

“I couldn’t be more happy right now,” said Francesca Glazer, a senior who had this experience once before as part of the last SWC championship team from Newtown, in 2021 when these seniors were freshmen.

Glazer, along with the other members of the Class of 2025, set out to go out with a championship and got the job done. “We said it’s going in with us and coming out with us,” she said.

Senior Rachael Albrecht scored both goals, had some key takeways, and was recognized as the Most Valuable Player of the tournament.

Other seniors, including Glazer, were a big part of the winning formula. Glazer and fellow seniors Lily Ammerman, Mo Murphy, Ellenoire Schoen (celebrating her birthday in style), Reese Lischuk, Kayla Locke, and Abby Ihlefeld helped the Nighthawks control the ball in the midfield and were part of a defensive effort that limited the Green Wave’s chances on or near the offensive half. When the Wave managed to get through, senior goaltender Riley Alesevich was up to the task stopping all four shots she faced.

Other seniors who were a part of this run were Gabriella Cordiero, Kaylee Awrachow, Emily Godbout, and honorary captain Jenna Lagan, out for the season with an injury.

Familiarity among the seniors, along with solid all-around teamwork helped the Nighthawks get this done.

“I think communication and knowing we can trust each other,” led to the result, Albrecht said.

Of course, the Nighthawks could not have gotten this done without some of the work of underclassmen. Emily O’Neil played a huge part in each tally, passing to Albrecht for the finish midway through the second quarter and sending a long pass ahead to help create the second tally, early in the third quarter. O’Neil passed to Ihlefeld who got the ball to Albrecht for an initial shot on goal and rebound for a deposit and a little breathing room. Amanda Faircloth, Evelyn Schoen, and Kaitlyn Doyle were among the Hawks who also played well in the pinnacle game victory.

In this collective effort a variety of Newtown players made key plays to help the Hawks possess the ball and stymie the Green Wave offense. Newtown turned the tables on New Milford; the Green Wave blanked NHS 1-0 during the regular season and had defeated NHS in last year’s conference tournament.

“Today it was redemption — we wanted it,” Assistant Coach Ellen Goyda said.

“This is incredible. They earned this — they deserve it,” said Head Coach Megan Goyda, Ellen’s daughter, who added that ball movement, staying composed, and an ability to mark up players and limit chances on New Milford’s free hits were keys to the Nighthawks winning the title.

The Nighthawks were in command throughout most of the night, but holding just a 1-0 lead at halftime it was anybody’s game to win. Newtown wasted little time adding to the advantage, scoring just 2:19 out of the break.

“It’s deflating to be on the other end of it,” Megan Goyda said of the importance of an insurance tally.

The Nighthawks had a solid regular season with some bumps in the road, not only losing to New Milford but also falling to Immaculate of Danbury. The Hawks had to go through both teams, and defeated No. 2 seed Immaculate 4-3 at neutral site New Milford High’s field in the semifinals on October 24. Ihlefeld and Albrecht scored unassisted goals in the first quarter with Ihlefeld’s coming off a penalty corner. Ellenoire Schoen was assisted by O’Neil in the third and Schoen scored again in the fourth, set up by Ihlefeld and Murphy, off a corner. O’Neil also had a great defensive save to help the Nighthawks advance.

“These girls work hard day in and day out and I’m so happy for them that they got this win,” Assistant Coach Tessa Albrecht said.

Sports Editor Andy Hutchison can be reached at andyh@thebee.com.