U13 Thunder Soccer Team Wins District Championship

The Newtown Thunder U13 girls’ soccer team defeated Ridgefield Orange 3-1 to capture the Connecticut Junior Soccer Association Southwest District Championship on a chilly November 11 night under the lights at Treadwell Park.

Jess Maturo scored two first half goals, one off a perfect corner by Lauren Beier.  Mia Katsuleres and Emily Neeve added shots on goal. In the second half, Newtown turned up the heat with several breakaways and at least a dozen shots on goal. However, only Hailey Conrad was able to find the back of the net off a nice lead pass by Grace Sandercox. Lauren Cirrone and Sandercox added shots on goal.

The midfield, led by Kendra Dunnigan, Claire Beiter, Amanda Albanese, Taylor Pare, and Julia Sughrue did a great job of spreading the ball and playing the ball through to the forwards, which included the ever-attacking Ali Manfredi. The defense of Olivia Caplan, Emily Montoya, and Beier were

virtually impregnable, with goalies Stef Carr and Meghan Doyle expertly clearing any balls that did manage to reach them. The Thunder finished the season with a 6-0-2 league record (11-2-5 overall), outscoring opponents by a 24-3 margin (both league bests).