NHS Girls’ Lacrosse Team Keeps Winning

By Andy Hutchison

Domination. That’s the word that best sums up the Newtown High School girls’ lacrosse team’s success against their South-West Conference counterparts. After all, the Nighthawks, who have won each of the last three SWC championships, also went unbeaten against SWC foes in the 2008 regular season.

Newtown picked up where it left off with a convincing 16-6 win over New Fairfield in the quarterfinal round of the SWC tourney at home on Tuesday evening.

No. 1 Newtown had no problems with No. 8 New Fairfield, a team it toppled 17-1 during the regular season. Betsy Vendel and Lisa Vendel each scored five goals and Courney Gleason added three despite being marked closely as always. Kaitlin Brophy added a pair of net-finders and Emma Kingsley had a goal for the high-scoring Hawks.

“We’re just taking it one game at a time. We’re not getting too confident,” said Gleason, whose Hawks had a SWC semifinal round date with No. 4 Joel Barlow on Thursday (after The Bee went to press). A win would put the Hawks in this coming Wednesday’s championship game (to be held at Barlow).

“If we can get to the championship game, hopefully we can keep the tradition going,” Gleason said.

The Hawks, after winning in a mostly light but steady rain on a cool evening on Tuesday, were looking forward to facing Barlow. NHS was upset by Barlow in last year’s Division I state tourney.

“I think they will play with a vengeance. They did not like losing that game last year at all,” NHS Coach Maura Fletcher said.

Although no team likes to lose, that was a big upset. Newtown was seeded third and Barlow, a No. 14 seed, shocked the Nighthawks in the first round.

The Hawks did beat Barlow 21-9 in the regular season this spring, but were looking forward to the chance to redeem themselves against their SWC rivals in the postseason.

Having gone unbeaten in SWC play this spring, Newtown is the clear favorite to retain its hold on the title, but Fletcher won’t count any eggs before they hatch.

“It will take a lot to win. It is not going to be an easy task by any means,” the coach said.

Gleason was the team’s top offensive weapon during the regular campaign and has been double-teamed by opponents since late in the year. She has had plenty of help from her teammates, including the other attack players and midfielders who step up to assist on the offensive side of the field.

“There are 11 players out on the field who can play lacrosse,” Fletcher said. “We have four go-to attack players, three solid midfielders, and four strong defenders. There’s not a hole anywhere.”

Gleason, Betsy Vendel, Stephanie Paproski, and Jackie Isabella are the starters on offense. Lisa Vendel, Brophy, and a combination of Sam Dinnan and Kingsley (the latter of whom started the year on the junior varsity team) are key at midfield. On defense, Jen O’Connell, Libby Feltch, Annie Fletcher, and Colleen Thornberg help protect goaltender Lisa Isabella who comes up with important saves when needed.