Thunder Strike! — Girls Win Tournament 

The Newtown Thunder rallied to win the West Haven Invitational Tournament held October 6 and 7 at the Paul Duffy Soccer Complex.

The tourney started on an ominous note for the Thunder as they were soundly defeated by the two-time defending champion Cheshire Red, 4-0. The team rebounded in the afternoon session, playing the host West Haven team to a 1-1 draw. Going into the second day of the tourney, the team was looking to make a statement, but didn’t have much expectation of getting to the championship. Things would change significantly in the next few hours.

First up was Cheshire White, which was 2-0 entering the game. After a scoreless first half, Newtown got on the board as Jess Maturo (the cast on her broken hand covered in bubble wrap) slashed through on the left side to beat the goalie for the lead. Ali Manfredi then converted from a sharp angle off  a nice pass from Emily Neave for a 2-0 score that ended up being the final margin of victory. Stef Carr was flawless in goal, stopping several hard shots. Claire Beiter and Olivia Caplan anchored the defense, while Mia Katsuleres and Kendra Dunnigan were strong at midfield.

Next up was an imposing Naugatuck squad. The Thunder adjusted to the physical play early (as well as a slick/muddy field from the rain that had started to fall). Hailey Conrad rained down a variety of arching, twisting shots and recorded the hat-trick in the 3-0 victory. Assists were from the able feet of Taylor Pare, Mallory Lobuglio, and Maturo. Pare and Julia Sughrue controlled the play in the middle, with Sughrue adding a shot on goal. Lauren King and Katie Elkins were impregnable on defense, while Carr and Meghan Doyle combined in goal for the shutout.

Newtown finished pool play with a 2-1-1 record and then had to wait for the outcome of the West Haven versus Orange match. There were several complicated scenarios based on the results of the match, the most favorable for Newtown being a tie. And that is exactly what happened, as an early goal was erased due to an offside and the game ended in a scoreless draw.

The championship was a rematch between Newtown and Cheshire Red, a team comprising several premier players. Red entered the final undefeated, and with one-sided victory over Newtown the day before, had little reason to believe the Thunder would be much of a challenge. What a difference a day can make. The first ten minutes of play was mainly in the Newtown half with several shots turned away by a scrambling Doyle. Conrad was able to steal a clearing pass and fired a 25-yarder off the outstretched hands of the goalie for the score. At this point, Cheshire realized it was in for a battle. The half ended tied 1-1.

Lobuglio had a strong half as she drove the ball down the sidelines, and Beiter had several important clears. The intensity picked up in the second half, as both teams had their chances. Newtown went on top 2-1 when the Red goalie deflected a blast off the foot of Neave (on a great pass from Pare), but was unable to control the rebound. A streaking Manfredi converted the put-back for the lead. However, momentum shifted back to Cheshire with a goal just 20 seconds later. Cheshire continued to pressure Newtown, despite the inspired play of Sughrue, Katsuleres, and Dunnigan at midfield, and the outstanding hustle of Caplan and a bloodied King on defense. Doyle came up with a myriad of spectacular saves (two dozen in all), one of the biggest being on a penalty kick with five minutes remaining. Elkins had a big save of her own, as she deflected a point blank shot off a corner with her head/face. With less than a minute remaining and the game headed towards overtime, Doyle made yet another save and punted the ball downfield. Conrad (who had been out most of the half due to her own hand injury) rocketed down the field to get to the ball, then somehow managed to out maneuver three defenders who were on top of her, before making one last move that allowed her to send a slicing kick into the back of the net for the victory as time expired.