By Kim J. Harmon

After seven weeks of near perfect weather, the least the Newtown Soccer Club could have hoped for would be some cloudy skies during the 19th annual Memorial Day Kick-Off Soccer Tournament this past weekend.

Well, there were cloudy skies all right – but from them dropped an incessant rain that pretty much drenched the entire weekend (although it did ease up on Sunday afternoon). And it got worse, too, because at 11:04 am on Saturday came the first ear-splitting crack of thunder.

Despite the deluge, the games were played . . . and in the process, the Newtown Rockets (girls U13) and Newtown Vipers (boys U11) both claimed Kick-Off Tournament championships.

The Rockets did it with a 5-0 win over West Hartford. And the Vipers did it with a 1-0 win over Bayport.

Newtown Rockets

 

The Rockets claimed their third straight Kickoff Tournament Championship with an impressive and convincing performance. Just like there was no stopping the rain, there was no stopping the Rockets as they defeated New Fairfield (4-0), North Kingston, Rhode Island (4-0), Danbury (5-1), and West Hartford (5-0) enroute to the title.

In the 5-1 win over Danbury, it was a shaky start for the Rockets, but it didn’t take long for them to come around. Tori Thomas and Erin Clark were in goal. Siobhan Cooper and Mary Anders had two goals apiece. Caitlin Hansen had an awesome game and scored the fifth goal. Emily Fields anchored the defense and Tara Gaston fired up the midfield.

In the 5-0 win over West Hartford, Cooper opened the scoring with a hard shot past the keeper. Anders then headed the ball into the net off a cross from Alex Konneker. Konneker then scored on a long ball. In the second half, Cooper scored again. To end the game, Anders scored off a through ball. Thomas and Hansen shared the shutout in goal.

Newtown Vipers

 

The Vipers became the first boys’ U11 team to win a tournament title since 1983 and they had to work mighty hard to do it.

In the opener on Friday night, the Vipers were down 1-0 early to Southbury. Although Max Hoagland headed in a cross from Kevin Troy to tie the score, Southbury went back up on top with another goal.

Paul Andras tied the match with his volley into the net off a corner kick.

And that’s where it ended. Drew Taylor, Jason Smith and Justin Miller all gave strong minutes in midfield along with Ethan Canfield and Chris Schreiber who strengthened the defense in front of goalie Danny Smith.

Against Rockville, Long Island, the Vipers once again found themselves in an early, 1-0 hole. But Andras and Anthony Florez scored within 10 minutes of each other in the second half to put the Vipers on top, 2-1. Rockville made a strong push near the end, but Schreiber and Kevin Davies made strong defensive plays.

Nick Kallivrousis, Chris Meier and Mat DeBrantes all played well.

Against Greenwich, Troy snapped a 0-0 tie with 10 minutes left to play with a left-footed crossing ball into the upper corner of the net. Canfield, Schreiber and Davies all helped goalie Danny Smith record the shutout. Alex Bowen and Florez kept the Greenwich defense busy with aggressive runs and great ball control.

In the final, it was the defensive effort of Bowen, DeBrantes, Meier and Danny Smith in the net which fueled the Newtown win. While Jason Smith and Miller controlled the center with Davies, it was Miller who came up with the winning goal on a run into the 18-yard box with a shot to the far post.

In other divisions:

Newtown Knockouts

 

A pair of wins and a pair of losses made it a pretty even-tempered tournament for the Knockouts.

In a 1-0 win over Brookfield, a goal by Kate Stickles and solid defense by Tara Ryan and Quincy Blanchard was the key. Karoline Engel played strong at midfield and Courtney Brunton was in control of the nets.

In a 2-0 win over Shelton, Cora Peffers netted her first of the season and Caitlyn Weber added one of her own. Smart play from sweeper Kelly Corrigan and defender Stacy Shpunt kept Shelton from scoring. Katie O’Connor earned the shutout playing both halves in the goal.

In a 3-1 loss to Rockville Center, in the pouring rain, the shortened game did not come out in favor of the Knockouts. Kristen Davis scored the lone goal while Megan Regnery controlled the midfield. Amy Doyle played well at defense.

In a 1-0 loss to East Meadow, the Knockouts displayed excellent team work in another shortened game. Amanda Shevlin and Caitlin Kuhn provided smart midfield play and Sara Salbu created chances on attack. Despite ball possession and great scoring opportunities, the slippery conditions worked against them.

“This was the last Newtown Tournament for the Knockouts,” said team manager Judy Corrigan. “It has been a fun five years. Good Luck to all of the girls in their future endeavors. Much success to all of the eighth graders moving on to the high school.”

Newtown Nitros

 

The Nitros had a pretty strong tournament, recording two shutouts and finishing in third place with a record of 2-2-0.

The Nitros began the weekend with an offensive explosion. Lindsay Weber scored three goals, and solo shots were added by Darcy Fiscella, Rose Jackman and Heather Young in a 6-0 win over Danbury. Great goalie play by Sarah Gutbrod and Amanda Roy led to the shutout. Mary-Ellen Sloan and Sara Peters played strong overall games. 

The offense remained hot in a 5-1 win over Norwalk. Weber added two more goals and great team passing led to perfect one-touch goals in front of the net for Jennifer Greenwood, Rachel Eastman and Young.  The defense was unyielding again, with Meredith Palo, Jennifer Iassogna and Kristene Salbu turning away Norwalk at every turn. Erica Vacaro distributed the ball perfectly in the midfield.

Things got tougher for the Nitros after that. In a 4-0 loss to Fairfield, Peters, Vacaro, Fiscella, Jackman and Eastman played well on offense while Salbu, Iassogna and Palo played well on defense. In the final game of the weekend, the Nitros dropped an 8-0 decision to Essex, Massachusetts.

Newtown Rage

 

The Rage finished 3-1-0 with wins over Danbury, Rockville Center (Long Island) and Fairfield. Their only blemish was a loss to Simsbury.

In a 3-0 win over Danbury, Michael Klein led the Rage with two goals and an assist. Joe Rahtelli also scored for the Rage. Aron Fay, Matt Boland, Justin Durelli and Billy McCann played great defense. Michael Kennedy and Mark Cinquegrana dominated the midfield.

In a 2-0 loss to Simsbury, Steven Marks made several nice saves in goal. Matt Norris, Nick Sando and Ross MacLeod put forth a great effort in trying to pick up the offensive pressure.

In a 3-0 win over Rockville Center, the Rage rebounded from their disappointing loss to Simsbury by dominating the team from Long Island. Rahtelli, assisted by Jack Quinn, scored in the eighth minute and Newtown was on its way to a victory. Kennedy scored on a penalty kick and Brian Conroy added a second half goal to close out the scoring. Tyler Bigham and Chris Nuelle provided aggressive midfield play. Eric Macknight was hustling on offense.

In a 3-1 victory over Fairfield, the Rage gave up a goal early in the contest but responded quickly with three first-half tallies. Goals were scored by Rahtelli, Quinn and Conroy. Nuelle and Sando had assists.

Newtown Hurricanes

 

The Hurricanes were right at home during the rainy weekend, going 3-1-0 in their four games.

In a 1-0 win over Shelton, Kelly Sullivan scored the lone goal after a rebound off the cross bar on a shot by Nora Lynn Shimko to propel the Hurricanes to the victory. The defense anchored by Colleen Thornberg and Emily DeMarco preserved the whitewash. Katie Serock along with Emily Weber contributed to the consistent offensive pressure applied throughout the game.

In a 5-0 win over North Kingstown, Rhode Island, the Hurricanes scored early and often. Megan Hansen opened the scoring and was followed by goals from Shimko and Tania Domingos all in the first half. Cassie David and Molly Curry added the final two tallies as the team’s strong play continued all game. Haley Keane teamed with Hannah Tenenbaum to control the offensive tempo of the match.

In a 1-0 win over Rockville Center, Long Island, the Hurricanes – playing one of the toughest teams in the bracket – were rewarded with a hard fought win. Genna Scheuerell picked the most opportune time to score her first goal of the year as it was the margin of victory. Kristine Zadrovitz, Curry, and Thornberg were the dynamic trio that defused Rockville’s high powered offense.

In a 1-0 loss to Stratford, the Hurricanes were held scoreless even with the tremendous effort put forth by Domingos, Scheuerell, and Weber on the offensive side. The highly physical game did not intimidate the defense led by Keane and Emily DeMarco. Only a fluke goal which eluded David prevented the Hurricanes from holding their opponents scoreless and  going undefeated in the tournament.

Newtown Nightmare

 

It was not a bad weekend for the Nightmare, who finished 2-2-0.

In a 4-0 win over Rockville Center, Long Island, the Nightmare played their best game of the season. Kurt Nacewicz led the way with two goals and an assist as Mickey Fay and Connor Collier each scored a goal. Andrew Domingos played very well in midfield, with solid games from John Gouveia and Daniel Kowarick. Jason Kostecki had the shutout in goal.

In a 2-0 loss to Easton, Newtown played well, with many scoring chances, yet could not pull the trigger. Andrew Meisel, Conor MacManus and Ryan Goodridge played well for the Nightmare. Chris Marks and Michael Kearns anchored the defense.

In a 2-1 loss to Norwalk, McManus played very well for the Nightmare, scoring their only goal late in the second half. Domingos and Meisel worked hard the entire game, with fine play by Ethan Carotti as well. The defense was once again anchored Marks, Kearns and Daniel Quinn. Kostecki had a great game in goal.

In a 2-0 win over Farmington, goals were scored by Collier and   Domingos. Goodridge, Mickey Fay and Gouveia played well for the winners. Quinn was solid in goal.