By Kim J. Harmon

Last year it went right down to the wire, with the Nighthawks needing at least a tie in their final regular season game against a very strong Shepaug team just to qualify for the CIAC state tournament.

They didn’t get it.

This year, the ‘Hawks didn’t wait. On Monday at the stadium, Morgan Pacheco scored the lone goal (her eighth of the season) as the ‘Hawks defeated rival Brookfield, 1-0, to qualify for the state tournament for the second time in three years . . . and, actually, for only the second time in the last 20 years.

The win boosted Newtown’s record to 5-4-3. A 2-1 loss to New Milford on Tuesday dropped the ‘Hawks to 5-5-3 and games against Masuk, Pomperaug and Shepaug are all that remain on the schedule.

Last Saturday, the ‘Hawks traveled north for a non-conference game against Haddam-Killingworth, the 11th-ranked team in state, and came away with a sterling effort despite the 1-0 loss. Then, against Brookfield, Pacheco scored early in the first half – unassisted – and the ‘Hawks managed to hold the Bobcats (7-3-0 entering the game) off the rest of the way.

Goaltender Heather Morgan made eight saves in the cage.

So, with a state tournament berth out of the way, the ‘Hawks went back to work the following night against New Milford. The last time the ‘Hawks and Green Wave met it was down in New Milford and a 1-1 game was suspended in the middle of the second half because of torrential rains.

Rain was in the forecast on Tuesday and it even sprinkled a little bit during the game, but this one went the full 60 minutes and the Green Wave (who recently beat previously unbeaten Pomperaug) avenged that earlier tie with a 2-1 win.

New Milford scored its first goal off a penalty corner with 17:30 remaining in the first half. After the ball was first hit in on the corner, it made its way around the top of the circle. A hard shot was heading wide, past the right post and past the outstretched leg of Morgan, but Kristen VanBuskirk was there to tap the ball into the cage.

With just 1:13 gone in the second half, the Green Wave increased its lead to 2-0. While not coming directly off a penalty corner, it nevertheless happened shortly after a corner situation just a minute into the half. Once again, it was VanBuskirk with the goal.

But the ‘Hawks didn’t wilt. During the course of the 2000 season, the young Nighthawks have tended to let bad situations get out of hand in a hurry (such as the loss to Pomperaug and the two losses to Bethel), but Tuesday night was not one of those times.

With 21:48 left to play and after several minutes of Newtown building up pressure on the New Milford defense, Pacheco scored her ninth goal of the season to trim the Green Wave lead to 2-1. After a long hit, there was a scramble in front of the cage. Lauren Bass drilled a hard shot that was stopped by a fullback, but she had a chance to push another shot through the defense. Pacheco was able to get her stick on the ball and give it another shove into the cage.

Newtown continued to mount the pressure and, as time expired, there was a furious scramble in front of the New Milford cage as the ‘Hawks tried one last time to tie the score.

The ‘Hawks met up with Masuk again on Thursday and will host Pomperaug on Tuesday.

NOTE: Morgan Pacheco’s nine goals is the most turned in by a single player since 1980, when Pat Whelan scored nine for the 4-4-6 Indians (as they were known then). It has been a strong offensive year for the ‘Hawks, who have scored 14 goals while allowing 22 (10 of those in one game).