By Kim J. Harmon

WETHERSFIELD – It was like being woken up from a wonderful dream.

With 3:19 left to play in the CIAC Class L state championship game last Saturday in Wethersfield, the Newtown High School field hockey team was still in the midst of  a terrific dream season that saw it win more games than any other team in the history of the program and reach the South-West Conference and CIAC Class L championship games for the first time ever.

But with 3:18 left to play, the alarm sounded.

And the dream was shattered.

Laura Dembofsky of the No. 5 Stamford Black Knights got a stick on a bounding ball inside the strike circle and popped it past Newtown goaltender Lisa Isabella for the only goal in an exciting state final between two superb and uncompromising teams.

The Lady Nighthawks finished 13-4-4-0, having lost to just two teams all year – Pomperaug (three times) and, now, Stamford.

“We were so pumped up – the whole bus ride up,” said Hannah Tenenbaum. “Making it this far is a great accomplishment for us.”

But it wasn’t enough.

The ‘Hawks wanted it all.

Sure, the possibility of a state championship might have sifted through the back of their minds when the CIAC Class L state tournament began a couple weeks ago, but no Newtown team has ever come close before and with teams like Simsbury (12-1-0-1), Greenwich (13-2-1-0), Brien McMahon (10-2-0-1), New Milford (10-2-2-0), Stamford (12-3-0-1) and South Windsor (11-2-3-0) all ranked higher than Newtown, a state championship may have seemed like a pipe dream.

But the idea really crystallized when the ‘Hawks shocked No. 2 Greenwich, 2-0, in the quarterfinals.

And it became even more realistic, even more possible, with a 2-1, come-from-behind win over No. 3 Brien McMahon in the Class L semifinals last week at Fairfield Ludlowe High School.

“It definitely became easier for us (emotionally) after the win at Greenwich,” said senior co-captain Nicole Alberico, “because we realized as long as we kept our heads in it we could do it.”

But the Black Knights were battle-hardened, surviving two consecutive overtime games to reach the championship game and though it was a scoreless tie through the first 56 minutes of the contest, the Knights had a better handle on it than did the ‘Hawks.

Stamford out-shot Newtown, 8-1, and had a 12-3 advantage in penalty corners.

“I just wish we had more opportunities,” said Tenenbaum, “more corners, more chances to finish.”

Like throughout the tournament, the Newtown defense stood front and center in the Class L final and kept the Black Knights at bay for the first 56 minutes.

In the first half, Jackie Isabella made a terrific clear at the end line on a penalty corner, stopping a ball that had gotten past her sister, Lisa, and pushing it out of the circle. Jackie made another solid clear in the second half, as did defender Libby Feltch, to keep Stamford out of the cage.

And, meanwhile, Linda Magliocco had a very strong game, playing exceptionally well in the middle to stem the Stamford tide.

But it looked as if the ‘Hawks could only hold the Knights off for so long.

“We never gave up the whole year,” said Alberico, “and I think we’ve set a really high goal for Newtown field hockey teams to come.”

Stamford 1, Newtown 0

GOALS: Stamford – Laura Dembofsky. ASSISTS: Stamford – Madison McLaughlin. SHOTS: Newtown – 1; Stamford – 8. SAVES: Newtown – Lisa Isabella 4; Stamford – Heather Wilson 1. PENALTY CORNERS: Newtown – 3; Stamford 12.