NHS Girls Lacrosse Team Earns Big Wins

By Andy Hutchison

Newtown High School’s girls’ lacrosse team overcame a 9-5 halftime deficit to top visiting Hall of Hartford 16-14 in the first of two straight challenging nonconference games this past week. Newtown got seven goals from Meaghan Brophy in the win, at Treadwell Park on May 3. Two days later, the Nighthawks edged host Ridgefield of the FCIAC, 15-14, as Brophy again did much of the offensive damage by finding the net five times.

The Nighthawks got back to South-West Conference action on Tuesday and defeated visiting Weston, which was previously unbeaten in the conference, 16-5 under an on and off rainfall. Brophy scored four times to pace the offense, and Erin Kenning and Meredith Bridges both scored twice in the rout.

Against Hall, Tressa Scott, Kristie VosWinkel, Julia Trudell, and Meredith Bridges all scored twice. Newtown Coach Maura Fletcher was pleased that her team fought back to overcome a tough Hall squad, which was ranked among the top handful of teams in the state, a few spots ahead of eighth-seeded Newtown going into the contest.

In the Ridgefield game, Scott, VosWinkel, Kenning, and Bridges all scored twice. VosWinkel had a pair of assists for a four-point effort and Bridges and Scott both had assists. Trudell and Caroline Kingsley added goals. Goaltender Celeste Cheung made ten saves. The game was deadlocked at 7 at halftime and NHS built a late-game lead before holding off Ridgefield.

“They’re always strong,” Fletcher said of the Ridgefield program, adding that the team has six college-bound players, five of whom will play at the Division I level. “We knew it was going to be a tough game.”

Newtown was without one of its best, and fastest defenders, Riley Wurtz who was out sick, but the rest of the defense stepped up in the triumph, Fletcher said. Cassie Ekstrom led the way with six ground ball scoops.

The Nighthawks, the seven-time SWC champions, were 10-2 overall, and remained perfect in SWC play — as they have been dating back to the 2006 season — heading into Thursday’s clash against Stratford (after The Bee went to press). Newtown then has another tough nonconference game, at Glastonbury on Saturday, May 12, before hosting Bunnell of Stratford on May 15 and closing out the regular season on May 17 at Masuk of Monroe.

Newtown, the top seed, will have a first-round bye in the Division I conference tourney and will begin play against an opponent to be determined in the semifinals May 23 at Pomperaug High in Southbury. With a win, the Hawks will be home for the championship game as Blue & Gold Stadium is the site for the May 25 finale this spring.