Unbeaten in conference play, Newtown High School’s girls’ lacrosse team is the top seed in the South-West Conference tournament which got underway with NHS defeating No. 8 Brookfield 13-1 in the May 19 quarterfinals. It is safe to say being the top seed and unbeaten justifies earning the tag as the favorite and, without question, the Nighthawks are a threat to win their first title since 2017.

“I’m very optimistic. We’re getting better and better every day. The girls are working really hard,” Coach Maura Fletcher said following a 17-5 triumph over visiting Bethel on May 13, the 11th game out of 13 in which the Newtown team has scored in double digits, and the team’s ninth victory by eight or more goals. That includes a 13-3 win over Brookfield early on.

That said, not every game has been a cake walk. The Hawks, in fact, lost 9-8 to New Fairfield in a nonconference clash before returning the favor in a 10-9 overtime win; edged Masuk of Monroe 10-8; and nipped Joel Barlow of Redding 6-5.

The Hawks theoretically have a challenging semifinal contest on Tuesday, May 25, when No. 4 Masuk of Monroe visits NHS at 6 pm. Newtown came from behind for a 10-8 win during the regular slate; the title game is set for May 27. No. 2 Joel Barlow and No. 3 New Fairfield are the other semifinalists.

“It’s going to be a tough road all the way through, so we have to play as close to perfect every game — there’s not a lot of room for mistakes,” Fletcher said.

Against Bethel, Erin Phaneuf, Izzy Butler, Elena Sughrue, and Gia Corso all scored three times, and Shea Murphy tallied twice.

Newtown capped off the regular season with a 14-9 win over Weston at home on May 15 to conclude with an overall record of 13-1. Sughrue and Jules Battaglia both scored three times. Corso had two goals. Phaneuf and Battaglia both logged a pair of assists.

Sports Editor Andy Hutchison can be reached at andyh@thebee.com.