UPDATE: The Saturday, October 7 game versus Immaculate has been postponed.

Playing the same team in less two weeks — an opponent that the squad mostly dominated in the first go-around — leaves little time for improvements, but Newtown High School’s field hockey team managed to up its level of success and outdo itself in a rematch with Masuk High of Monroe when the teams met for the second time in ten days. The Nighthawks, who defeated Masuk on the road 4-1 on September 20, blanked the Panthers 7-0 in the rain at Blue & Gold Stadium on September 30.

“I think going back to the last game we did well finishing in the circle but today we did it with aggression. Any rebound that came out in the circle we pounced on,” Newtown Coach Megan Goyda said.

Newtown also worked on lift shots in recent practices and scored four of its seven cage-finders on lifts.

Seeing that they can score so many goals and continue to make strides gives confidence to the Nighthawks. “It helps light a fire for the tough games,” Goyda said.

Newtown’s lopsided win featuring early goals, opened the door for substitutes to get solid minutes in varsity action and everybody did well.

“They all got the job done, which was really cool,” Goyda said.

This marked the third shutout in a row for the Nighthawks, a combined effort for Riley Alesevich and Riley Ragan, and second consecutive blowout. The Hawks, on September 27, blanked Brookfield 6-0 at Treadwell Park. The Nighthawks avenged a loss to Brookfield from last year’s South-West Conference tournament, and got Goyda a victory over the team she previously coached before returning to Blue & Gold where she was a player.

In the win over Brookfield, Francesca Glazer scored twice and Summer Harrell had a beautiful goal in which she weaved in and out of Brookfield defenders before scoring. Lilly Ammerman set up two goals, one by Glazer and the other off the stick of Annika Bozentko. Emily O’Neil scored off a nice pass from Abby Ihlefeld, and Ellenoire Schoen had a put-back goal off a rebound.

Goyda said everyone saw playing time, had touches in the offensive circle, and played a fantastic game.

Against Masuk, Schoen netted a hat-trick, Harrell scored twice, and Bozentko and Rachael Albrecht also hit the cage. Harrell had a trio of assists, Albrecht had two assists, and Bozentko and Mo Murphy also set up goals.

Newtown built a 4-0 lead at halftime and scored just 36 seconds into the third quarter when Harrell set up Schoen for a 5-0 advantage. The Nighthawks used every second of third-quarter clock to tack on another when Harrell air-mailed a beauty to the back of the net off a penalty corner with zeros showing on the scoreboard clock. Murphy got possession off her corner insert and passed across to Harrell for the last tally.

The Nighthawks got back to action on October 2 with a visit to Weston and fell 2-0, the team’s first defeat in South-West Conference play this fall. The Nighthawks carry an overall record of 6-3 into a scheduled game Saturday, October 7, when Immaculate of Danbury visits at 6 pm. Weston lost 1-0 to Immaculate and has shut out three SWC teams, each in 1-0 and 2-0 contests.

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