Boys’ Booters Fall In Penalty Kick Heart-Breaker

By Andy Hutchison

Newtown High School’s boys’ soccer team fell in a hard-fought double-overtime, penalty kick heartbreaker, 1-0 (4-2 in PKs) to Pomperaug in the South-West Conference tournament quarterfinals at Blue & Gold Stadium on October 26.

The second-seeded Hawks dominated the pace of game play, but seventh-seeded Pomperaug goalkeeper Drew Berkowitz made a dozen saves in 80 minutes of regulation play, another stop in 20 minutes of overtime, and one in the best-of-five penalty kick session. The Panthers sealed the win in the fourth round after Newtown’s Matt Mossbarger’s third-round try hit the crossbar and bounded out. In the second half, Logan Puleri’s long-range shot glanced off a player in front and hit the far post to the left of Berkowitz. Another solid NHS chance late in the game was blocked by a defender.

Newtown goalkeeper Elijah Klorczyk didn’t have to do much in regulation, thanks to his team’s dominance in possession, but did come up with a game-saving, leaping save with ten seconds to play. It didn’t prove to be enough, as the Nighthawks dropped another penalty kick playoff game.

In last year’s Class LL state tournament, the Hawks beat Ridgefield in the opening round of the bracket with a dramatic penalty kick victory before falling to Fairfield Prep in PKs in the second round.

In the latest penalty kick finish, Newtown got goals from Andrew Sullivan and Stephen Conway. Berkowitz made a second-round diving save on Nick Barreto.

Pomperaug’s Jung Kang, Tyler Longo, Kostika Kosova, and Robert Guerrera all scored.

NHS will look to rebound in the state tournament, scheduled to begin in early November.