By Steve Bigham

BETHEL – Matt Pachniuk knocked away one ball after another Wednesday night, staring down powerhouse Joel Barlow in the face and refusing to give in.

For 47 minutes of this South-West Conference semi-final, the Newtown goalie and his physically ut-manned teammates managed to turn back the relentless Falcon assault, keeping alive their lickering hopes of trip to the league finals.

  But Pachniuk and his mates are only human. Top-seeded Barlow, on the other hand, often resembles something more than human. Its constant barrage on the Newtown net finally took its toll. Three second half goals lifted 17-0 Barlow to a 3-0 win and sent it on to Friday night’s championship matchup against third-seeded Brookfield, which defeated second-seeded New Milford, 3-0, in the other semi.

“They send a ton of guys at you,” said Pachniuk, who racked up eight saves. “They all can play and they’ve got size and speed. That makes them hard to defend.”

Barlow’s Alex Far did not score in Wednesday’s game, but he dominated the younger, smaller Newtown squad, beating his defenders to balls and constantly putting pressure on guys like Pachniuk and sweeper Andrew Smith. The Falcons out shot Newtown, 22-8.

Despite having its back to the wall for the first 40 minutes, fourth-seeded Newtown (10-3-4) reached halftime tied 0-0. During the intermission, however, there appeared to be an uneasiness on the Newtown bench as players tried to catch their breath. Coach Brian Neumeyer did his best to keep his players up, but even he had to be wondering when the Falcons would finally strike.

A year ago, a more experienced Newtown squad held a 1-0 halftime lead on Barlow in the semifinals only to give up two unanswered goals in the second half. Wednesday’s game was a carbon copy. Barlow hit paydirt for the first time less than seven minutes into the second half when Mike Hamill scored on a header off a pass from senior fireballer Andy Wohl. Wohl was credited with the assist after his sideline hurl traveled more than 30 yards – all the way to the far post of the Newtown goal where Hamill was ready and waiting. Wohl’s ability to throw the ball such long distances is just another weapon in the Falcon arsenal.

Less than three minutes later, midfielder Nick Dandapani scored on a pass from Matt Kaufmann to put the game away. Dandapani’s goal came just two minutes after he had to be helped from the field with an injury. Barlow’s other midfielder, Terry Wayne, was also injured during second-half action and observers sensed the injuries might have helped the Falcons gain some momentum.

Already trailing, 2-0, Newtown’s situation worsened late in the game when talented freshman Sean Wilson was injured and had to be transported to Danbury Hospital by Bethel ambulance.

Then Barlow put the exclamation point on the night when senior Ben Visnyei broke loose near midfield and blasted a left-footed shot into the net from 20 yards out.

“They just go and they run in lines. They keep on coming. They’re relentless,” Neumeyer said. “Physically, they’re fast and they’re big.”

Newtown did have its share of chances, including Brendan Cavanaugh’s shot from 35 yards out that bounced off the cross bar midway through the first half.

Joel Barlow defeated Newtown, 2-0, earlier in the season, scoring both its goals in the second half.

The fourth-seeded Night-hawks advanced to the semifinal with a 2-1 quarterfinal win over fifth-seeded Pomperaug Saturday night in Newtown. Sophomore Mike Troy opened the scoring in the first half on a penalty kick. Moments later, sophomore Ryan Tracy juked a pair of defenders before beating the Panther keeper to the goal.

Newtown must now regroup in preparation for next week’s CIAC Class L state tournament beginning Monday. The Nighthawks have flourished in the state tournament under Nuemeyer during his first two seasons, advancing to the finals in 1998 and the semis in 1999.