Seven-Time Champs Not Focusing On Past

By Andy Hutchison

It would be one thing if the Nighthawks were defending champions. Well, they are but it’s another thing because the Nighthawks are the defending champions — times six. Newtown High School’s girls’ lacrosse team has won the South-West Conference title a mind-boggling seven years in a row. Not only that, but the team hasn’t lost to a conference opponent — regular or postseason — since a setback to New Fairfield back in 2006.

It’s gotten to a point the Nighthawks are basically expected by fans, media, and opponents alike to win it all, and every team is hungry to knock off the Nighthawks.

“We don’t talk about it a lot. I know there is going to be a year that somebody’s going to lose and I don’t want them to feel like failures if they lose that — it’s been seven years,” Newtown Coach Maura Fletcher said as her team geared up for the start of the regular campaign at Treadwell Park earlier this week. “I feel a ton of pressure from that and I don’t want them to feel that pressure, so I really don’t talk about the previous seasons.”

The Nighthawks narrowly kept their in-conference winning streak alive by defeating Joel Barlow of Redding twice by just one goal in 2011 — including in the SWC title game.

Newtown has pretty much dominated most of the conference year in and year out to a point Fletcher has had to schedule nonconference games and scrimmages against the best teams she can find. It hasn’t proven to be enough to prepare the Hawks for the state tournament. Once there, Newtown hasn’t been able to get out of the quarterfinal round in each of the last three years.

An advantage the Hawks have this season is something Fletcher has been pushing for — breaking the SWC into two divisions of strongest and weakest teams — which has come to fruition. Newtown, as a result, will only be required to play fellow top SWC teams in Division I, freeing up more open game dates for Fletcher to schedule out-of-conference tests for her girls. This year’s non-SWC slate will include Cheshire, New Canaan, Wilton, Hall of Hartford, Ridgefield, and Glastonbury.

“I’m probably looking at more losses this year — but to much stronger teams,” said Fletcher, whose Hawks dropped only two regular-season games a year ago, to Wilton and New Canaan from the FCIAC, and edged Glastonbury by just a goal. “I’m not really looking at the win-loss as long as we get good practice on the field.”

The team’s biggest loss is high-scorer, midfielder Kaitlin Brophy, along with attack players Katie Canavan and Meghan Carney, and defender Kelly O’Connor.

This spring, Fletcher expects the scoring to be spread more widely among the snipers. Juniors Erin Kenning, Tressa Scott, and Julia Trudell, along with senior captain Meredith Bridges, in particular, will be looked to for finding the back of the net. Most of the defense is back in the fold, with only O’Connor gone from the starting back line. Basketball standout Riley Wurtz, is expected to step up from a reserve role to fill that void on defense and provides quick feet, Fletcher notes. Goaltender is Celeste Cheung is back to guard the nets, and will have plenty of experienced players in front of her on defense, including senior captain Kaitlin VosWinkel and sophomore Cassie Ekstrom.

It’s a team loaded with talent, as always, but this year’s squad features several younger players. “We’re still a good solid team,” said Fletcher, adding that the lineup features several first-time starters. “But they’re still good quality players and I think we’re just going to take a little time to gel — but we’re still a very solid team.”

Fletcher says that if there is a weak spot, it would have to be at midfield where the team lacks depth off the bench in the early going. The coach, however, is hopeful that the up-and-coming players will emerge quickly to help the Hawks make a run, not only at another conference crown but also a Class L state tournament title.

Tough teams in the conference are, as always, New Fairfield, Joel Barlow of Redding, and New Milford, Fletcher said. The Hawks were scheduled to begin the season at home against New Milford on Thursday (after The Bee went to press) and will visit Brookfield on April 10. The next home game is an April 12 battle with Cheshire.