Girls

U8

Warriors 6, SuperStrikers 5: In a well-played and spirited contest, both teams left it all out on the field on a warm Saturday morning. Fantastic skill and exciting back and forth action from both teams produced a thrilling contest. For the SuperStrikers, Emma Butler was a force on the offense, scoring a hat trick, while Julia Gerace added two goals and played excellent help defense. Emi Rosenthal, Katelyn Zaniewski and Kyra Masone played excellent all-around games and created many opportunities for their teammates. Elise Barricelli, Katie Marcum, Gabby Mogollon and Maleeha Ali handled the goaltending very well and contributed fine offensive and defensive efforts. The Warriors’ offensive explosion was led by Charlotte Branchflower and Olivia Buchler who each had two goals and some tremendous passes. Emma Magazu notched a goal and was an incessant force, while Maggie Breault knocked in her first career goal. Emily Dunford, Katie Jones and Sophia Bajcer excelled on defense with outstanding hustle which helped stop numerous attacks. Katie Stan, Elizabeth Cassetta and Samantha Kuruc gave stalwart efforts in goal and had marvelous all-around games. Terrific sportsmanship and effort was demonstrated by both teams from kickoff to the final whistle.

U11

Sparks Start Season Off With Three Losses

The Newtown Sparks started their season off with three losses starting with a 6-3 game in Wilton on a cold, rainy morning. Despite the steady rain and Wilton’s early 6-0 lead, Sparks’ Emma Curtis scored two goals to end the first half. The Sparks’ third goal was scored by Heidi Poarch in the second half, while Newtown’s defense and goalkeeper Angela Vodola prevented Wilton from adding another goal. The Sparks then traveled to Weston where they fell 6-1 with their only goal coming in the second half scored by Emma Curtis despite multiple attempts to find the back of the net by Emily Celentano and Veronica Vodola. The Sparks third game at home started strong, allowing the Easton-Redding Passion one goal in the first half against goalkeeper Jackie Seras. Early in the second half, the Passion came on strong, scoring five more goals early before Seras was put back in the goal. Sparks’ Sarah Widmann managed to find the net late in the second half for the 6-1 loss.

Newtown Sparks 6, Ridgefield Orange 2: The Sparks traveled to Ridgefield where Jackie Seras led the Sparks in scoring, netting the ball within the first two minutes of play. Seras then put another ball in off her left foot, immediately followed by Emma Curtis also with her left foot. Sparks Veronica Vodola made a left cross to Izzy Mawdsley who put it into the back of the net ending the half 4-0. Goalkeeper Angela Vodola had three saves in the first half. Ridgefield managed to get two balls in the net early in the second half before goalkeeper Seras took her place in goal. Seras had two additional saves in the half, while Emily Celentano scored two more goals for the Sparks, assisted by Gabby Reisert and Emma Curtis.

Newtown Sparks 2, OGRCC Thunder 1: Celebrating their Mom’s in a Mother’s Day tribute, the Sparks celebrated a victory over Old Greenwich. Newtown dominated the field in the beginning of the game, however, an open pass allowed the Thunder to get a high shot on goalkeeper Angela Vodola. Sparks’ Nathalie Schickendantz had two great attempts from out wide unable to find the back of the net, while Sarah Widmann was persistent on finding the holes in the Thunder’s defense, moving the ball to the net and staying on top of their goalkeeper. The second half started with two attempts on goal by Emma Curtis, followed again by an attempt by Widmann. With ten minutes left in the game, Emily Celentano finally broke through the Thunder’s defense and had an open drive all the way to the net, placing it in the upper corner. Celentano then made another attempt that the Thunder’s goalkeeper came out of the net to scoop up but missed it as she got tangled with one of her own defensive players allowing the ball to slowly roll into the goal for the 2-1 victory. Sparks goalkeeper Vodola spent the whole game in the goal and recorded 7 direct saves and numerous attacks.

Newtown 1, West Haven 0: The U11 Dynamites faced a good team in West Haven Friday night for their Connecticut Cup game. The first half almost went without a score until excellent teamwork prevailed. With 10 seconds left on the clock, Katie Sailer crossed the ball from the left side to Brooke Antous who tipped it to Rebecca Gavel who took a shot on goal which ricocheted off of the crossbar only to return in Gavel’s direction. This time Gavel followed up and put the ball in the back of the net. Lauren Carrino was in goal the first half, and Gavel in the second. Olivia Hage was on fire on the defensive line and Keeley Kortze and Brooke Antous played an overall great game.

Bethel 2, Newtown 1: The Dynamites then traveled to Bethel and played a hard-fought game against their biggest rival. Shortly into the first half, Katie Sailer delivered a corner kick which curved and found its way into the net, giving the Dynamites the early lead. The battle between the two teams was evenly matched in the first half, with Grace Corcoran, Audrey Benson and Lu Hage playing strong defense, and Lauren Carrino made several saves in the goal. Jenna Lavelle helped fuel the offense with several shots on goal. The second half opened with Rebecca Gavel in goal and frustrating the Bethel offense. But Bethel increased their pressure, forcing the Newtown squad into defense. Bethel then capitalized on a corner to even up the score. Brooke Antous, Lauren Adams and Katie Sailer all had opportunities with some close shots on goal, but were unable to convert. Lauren Carrino came in as goalie, making some spectacular saves, but a Bethel shot made it through heavy traffic and into the net giving Bethel the win.

U12

Darien 3, Panthers 1: The Panthers fell despite a strong offensive presence for much of the game. The defensive line under the tough-as-nails play of Allie Paynter and Bryanna Benson, stripped the ball from Darien with their physical moves. Returning from the injured list, Catherine Shaw made Darien earn every inch of Panther ground. Greta Staubly and Dani Otero took shots to the body in their efforts to control possession of the ball. Diana Kirkman, an impressive defensive force, was white hot with her footwork as she cleared the ball in Panther backfield while taking a solid hit to the ground. The formidable Alex Futterman faced Darien in goal for the first half with impressive saves. Kaitlyn Riley pushed the ball up with well-placed passing, while Maria Ringes and Audrey Sedensky connected for attempts at goal. Undeterred by a 2-0 lead in the first half, the Panthers kept the pressure on with the fine play of Mary Hufziger in her inaugural game since injuring her wrist. Hana Rosenthal dominated midfield, while Priya Deraney and Kira Kelly answered every Darien advance. Kelly later tended goal for the Panthers making aggressive plays out of the net. Late in the second half, Ringes and Juliette Grover teamed up by putting pressure on the goal tender with smart passing and field position as Elizabeth Chamiec-Case sailed the ball into the net to put the Panthers on the scoreboard.

U13

Newtown 1, Darien Blue 1: As champions of the B division last year, Newtown moved up to the A division and showed they belonged with a hard-fought tie against Darien. The defense was terrific, led by Grace Sandercox, Claire Beiter and goalie Steff Carr. Middies Kendra Dunnigan and Julia Sughrue created several scoring opportunities from the wing, leading to a goal by Emily Neave that earned Newtown the tie.

Newtown 1, Trumbull United Strikers 1: Newtown took the lead early on a goal by Hailey Conrad off a nice pass from Lauren Bier. Newtown kept the pressure on with shots on goal by Amanda Albanese and Emily Neave, the latter hitting the post. Mia Katsuleres and Taylor Pare controlled play from their mid-field positions. Defenders Olivia Caplan and Bier kept Trumbull in check for most of the game, and Meghan Doyle had several outstanding saves in goal to preserve the tie.

Newtown 1, Norwalk 1: A rematch of last year’s two top B division teams again ended in a tie. Norwalk scored early and had a near-miss to go up 2-0, but Newtown was able to get on track and dictate play for the remainder of the game. Taylor Pare led Hailey Conrad with a great pass up the middle and Conrad turned on the jets to out run the defense and finished with a great juke to get past the charging goalie to knot the game at one. Jess Maturo had an impressive charge as she weaved through five opponents before hitting the post on her shot. In the second half, forwards Ali Manfredi and Emily Neave had powerful shots turned back by a diving Norwalk goalie. Neave put a point-blank header on goal off a perfect corner from Amanda Albanese, but again the Norwalk goalie dove for the save. Defenders Olivia Caplan and Emily Montoya kept Norwalk in check after their quick start, and Meghan Doyle went the whole game in net.

U14

No Names 3, American Eagles 0: For the American Eagles, Allie Indelicato played well at forward. Mid-fielders Savannah Davidow and Calista Giroux moved the ball well. Grace Sholtes also controlled the ball well. Mackenzie Macchiarulo returned for another stellar job as sweeper. Sarah Simonson and Willow Pears solidified the defense. Goalkeeping duties were shared by Savannah Davidow and Kaysie Fish. For the No Names, goals were scored by Grace Frost, Maddie Marlin and Janyce Toth. A strong defense was anchored by Emma Schmid-Tharish, Callie Kraushaar and Vanessa Tucker. Caroline Cole, Holly LoCasio and Jaclyn O’Leary lead the offense, providing many scoring opportunities for the No Names.

Boys

U8

Cheeseballs 6, Black Skulls 3: The Cheeseballs came ready to play and showed some great teamwork and passing on the field. The scoring was led by Michael Elston and Markus Paltauf with two goals each, with Owen Reinhart and J.P. O’Leary each adding another. Assisting on the goals were Paltauf (2), George Sandercox, Michael Elston and Ethan Appiah. Sam Staubly and James Ciaramello created a lot of scoring chances and J.P. O’Leary and Jeremy Pankow made some spectacular saves in goal. The Black Skulls played another exciting game. Starting with an unofficial goal in the first 30 seconds of play, the first half was full of scoring opportunities created by Sean O’Sullivan, Aidan Hall and Jake Holme. Hayden Miller once again placed all goals in the net. Nick Gold and Aaron Trammel lead the defense with cleared balls and numerous tackles to hold off a very strong opponent. Nate Hoffert and Zack Majeski played both mid-field and defense well, until both teams were exhausted. Sean will be missed for at least three weeks with a broken arm from a fall in the first half.

Team Two 3, Sponge Bobs 2: The Sponge Bob offense was led by the hustle of Andrew Bazuro and Jake Mailloux, while Tanner Trede found the back of the net twice. RJ Figuerro was great in goal, making multiple stops, and the hustle of JJ Kanaan, Torin Kearney and Cameron Petrelli led to numerous Sponge Bob scoring opportunities.

Nighthawks 5, Wolverines 0: Mother’s Day brought great weather but a tough match for the Wolverines who battled hard in a loss to the Nighthawks. CJ Hoekenga showed great effort at forward with several fast-paced breakaways, while Dylan McDermott was as stingy as they come on defense in the fourth quarter. The Wolverines showed great composure and kept constant pressure on the ball. The Nighthawks continue their unbeaten streak for the year and played their best game so far. They played great team soccer by spreading out and passing the ball. Their coaches were most proud of how the boys talked on the field to one another and supported their teammates when needed. Adem Selmani led the way for the Nighthawks with the first two goals of the day, the first unassisted, the second on an alert pass from Ryan Ruddy leading Adem to the goal. John Sullivan scored the third goal on a beautiful sliding follow-up that really got the crowd excited. Tyler DiMartino put the ball in the back of the net to score on a cross from Ryan Ruddy to score the fourth goal. Adem Selmani scored the fifth goal and his hat trick on a great leading pass from Brandon Akbas (who was the rock on defense for the Nighthawks). Aidan Waaler played inspiring in goal and had several saves. Jason Walsh found himself as the final player for the Wolverines to get by several times and proved he is a force on defense. Connor Mandarano earned himself extra playing time with his hustle and great instincts for the ball.

Lego Guys 2, Titans 1: The Lego Guys had a hard fought game with strong efforts from both teams. The team scored two goals on the opposing team to win by a slim margin of 2-1. Goals from Greg Gargano with assists from Brendon Adams, along with goals from Angelo Lamanna. Strong efforts on offensive from Joe Tartaglia, Julian Totir, Dillon Geiling, Justin Zemo and Mathew Jacobs. Excellent Goaltending and defense from Brendan Adams and Ian Moore. The Titans played one the their best games of the season. Although the team scored only one goal, they came very close to scoring many other times. The defense stopped many of the other team’s attacks, and all players gave their best effort for the entire game.

U11

Danbury 3, Newtown Vipers 2: After a defensive effort and a strong second half comeback attempt, the Vipers lost a nail bitter in the last few seconds of the game. In the first half Goalie, Henry Vaughn, stopped an onslaught of attempts, but Danbury scored mid-way through the first half off the cross bar and then again just before time expired in the first half. Defensive play by both teams kept the game close when Danny “Big Foot” Schreiber found Aidan Schmidt for the Vipers first goal. Within minutes Schreiber was there again for the assist to Sean Arnold for the tying goal. After Goalie CJ Trivers deflecting several shots, a Danbury midfielder fired the winning goal just as time was running out.

U12

Trumbull 3. Titans 0: Newtown made a good showing in their game last Sunday against Trumbull. Jack Armstrong, James Barden and Aiden O’Leary put up a strong defense and aided their goalie JT Lewis in warding off the ball in the first half. Santiago Forero ran all out in pursuit of the ball in defense of his goal and saved the day many times. Danny Arneth, Wally Skrelja and Christian Adam played midfield and stayed on the opposing players and passed consistently and accurately. Jack Oltran, John Finnegan and Grant Larson all played quick and eager forwards. Henry Petrillo had a brilliant game and was able to capture the ball and reverse its direction many times with strong and long kicks. Nicholas Weiland, Thomas Skrelja, Henry Petrillo all had great headers. Michael Greenspan came into goal during the first half and had several good saves. Jack Oltran and John Finnegan had noteworthy attempts on goal.

U14

Water Buffaloes 3, Fishes 1: A rainy day rematch between the Water Buffaloes and Fishes resulted in a win for the Buffaloes. Early in the game, Dillon Palumbo scored with an expertly placed assist from James Barry. A penalty shot resulted in Palumbo’s second goal. In the second half, the Fishes came back with a goal scored by Thomas Gavel with a skillful assist by Nick Bourgeois. Despite the excellent defense fielded by Jack Handley, the seeming invincibility of goalkeeper Marc Carlson, and the tenacious sweeping of Brenden Reeds, the Buffaloes scored again. Andrei Kalinowski fired a final shot into the goal. Casper DeWit provided support for the Buffaloes throughout the game at midfield and forward, Chris Mok was a strong, steady wing, and Daniel Reilly was indefatigable at midfield.