By Steve Bigham

Like baseball’s pitchers and football’s place kickers, soccer’s goaltenders tend to lead lonely lives when they’re on the field. They must stand in solitude in front of the goal as their teammates work in front of them. Goalies are the last line of defense for their teams and must be prepared for anything. One moment they may be watching the action from afar. The next, they are diving for loose balls, often being kicked in the head in the process.

It can be a daunting task both physically and emotionally. To compensate, goalies are often superstitious and take part in ritualistic behavior. Newtown’s Tom Malloy is no exception. Before every game this past season, the senior goaltender could be seen gnawing on the net.

“I just starting doing it this year and it worked for me,” said Malloy, who was recently named all South-West Conference (SWC) first team goalie after a fine senior year. “There’s a lot of pressure, so you have to convert it to success and learn how to manage it.”

Malloy joins fellow seniors Bret McEvoy, a sweeper, and Rich Engel, a midfielder, on the SWC first team. Senior Brian Gossling and junior Andrew Smith were both voted to the SWC’s all-division team.

The son of John and Jane Malloy of Taunton Hill Road, Tom has been a goaltender since the age of 13. For him, a senior year that included 11 shutouts and an overall record of 13-4-2 could not have been much sweeter. After an up and down junior campaign, Malloy distinguished himself as not only the league’s best goalie, but arguably the best in the state, as well. Time after time, it was Malloy coming up with the big save, and, as Coach Brian Neumeyer often pointed out, his goaltender’s solid play was a catalyst for the rest of the team.

“When they know they have confidence in their keeper to get it done, it gives them an extra boost to get goals and be productive in the field,” said Malloy, who is quick to credit his teammates and coaches. “Our style avoids offensive chances for the other team. This program is great right now. Brian is the perfect guy for the job. He’s developing the youth, so I think Newtown has a great future in terms of soccer.”

Neumeyer called goalkeeping a specialty position, which, since you can’t coach it as much as other positions, called for special self-discipline and work ethic from Malloy.

“His dedication to the game and his work in the off season helped him grow as a goalkeeper. He was much more aggressive this year and it helped him become the dominant keeper in the SWC,” Neumeyer said. “I think his play in last year’s state tournament was the turning point for him.”

 Malloy was especially impressive this year against Kolbe Cathedral and Masuk - games that ended in scoreless ties. He also came up big during a big early-season win over Bethel. One play, when Malloy dove to his right to stop a bullet shot, was particularly impressive.

“Last year, I was a little tentative coming off my line. This year, I just clicked. There was no hesitation in controlling the box this year,” he said.

At 6-3, Malloy is the perfect size for a goaltender and he should be an asset as a college player. He is currently looking at a couple of Division I schools, although he’ll likely play at Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts. His sister, Lindsey, a 1998 NHS graduate, played a season at Providence College, and his brother, Chris, is a freshman midfielder. 

Malloy spent this past summer competing in the Olympic Development Program state team. The Connecticut club played other states, finishing with a 2-2 record. Malloy also trained under the tutelage of UConn goalie coach, Bobby Muuse.

Malloy and 11 other seniors played in the final game of their careers November 17 when the Nighthawks lost 1-0 to Hand of Madison in the CIAC Class L state tournament. Hand scored 10 minutes into the second half, taking advantage of one of just a handful of opportunities.

“That was kind of a fluke goal they scored. It hit off the cross bar first before they kicked it in. They had one good chance and they just happened to get it in,” Malloy said. “When you can’t win your last game, you just have to look back and see all the good games you had. We had a lot of good games.”

Newtown had a particularly difficult draw in the states, having to beat previously undefeated East Lyme, the second seed, before moving on to face third-seeded Hand. Hand ended up losing to Wethersfield. During the championship game in North Haven, Hand received four red cards and eight yellows.

Newtown, which lost, 3-2, to Joel Barlow in the SWC semifinals, never lost by more than a goal this year. “We played hard every game. We left everything out on the field ever time out,” Neumeyer said. “For us, it was a tremendous year and we’re already looking forward to next year.”

In addition to Malloy, Engel, McEvoy and Gossling, Newtown also loses seniors Jared Miller, TJ Wolferseder, Scott Walrath, Tom O’Toole, Trey Hoppmeyer, Ben Kugielsky, Adam Gruendig and Bryan Shanahan. Nevertheless, optimism remains high as several talented players return, including those on this year’s junior varsity squad, which went undefeated.

Returning varsity players include juniors Andrew Smith, Rob Weiss and Todd Winner, sophomores Colin Armstrong, Ian Walker, Brendan Cavanaugh, and freshman Jake Rouse and Ryan Tracy.

Sophomore Matt Pachniuk is the leading candidate to take Malloy’s place in goal.

In two years at the helm, Neumeyer has compiled a record of 27-10-2.