If Newtown High School’s boys’ soccer season shakes out as expected, the offense will be as balanced as the team’s roster, meaning scoring will come from numerous sources.

Coach Brian Neumeyer notes that the Nighthawks won’t hang their hat on one or two go-to players, and that he has a good group of juniors and seniors who should help provide success this year.

“It’s a balanced team,” said the coach, adding that this attribute will allow the Nighthawks to use varying substitution patterns, creating different looks and lineups throughout the campaign.

“I think we have a lot of very good, hardworking players. I think that’s going to bode well for us,” the coach added.

Senior captains are midfielder James Cochrane and defender Forrest Weatherby. In addition to the captains, junior midfielder Shane Gattey is expected to play a key role on the playing field. The team begins the season with a goalkeeping duo of seniors Zachary Laros and Nick Bourgeois, who will vie for time between the posts this fall.

“We’re competing to be one of the best teams in the conference this year,” Neumeyer said.

The season opener is Friday, September 11, when Newtown travels to New Fairfield for a 6 pm battle. The first home game is September 15, when Brookfield heads to Treadwell Park for a 3:45 pm matchup.

Read more about the booters in the September 11 print edition of The Bee.