Girls’ Soccer—

Booters Motivated To Win First SWC Title

By Andy Hutchison

The Newtown High School girls’ soccer team is looking to avenge a disappointing finish to last season and has plenty of reason for confidence with all but three players back in the fold.

After having their way with the competition during a stellar 14-0-1 regular campaign, the Nighthawks fizzled in the playoffs, first losing a heart-breaker on penalty kicks to Bethel in the South-West Conference semifinals, preventing the Hawks from winning their first SWC crown. Newtown then fell to No. 15 Glastonbury in the second round of the Class LL state tourney despite being the heavily-favored No. 2 seed. “We let the game slip away from us,” second-year Head Coach Marc Kenney recalls.

Kenney said last year’s seniors took the end of their careers hard. “It was painful for me to watch,” he added.

This year’s group is setting out to avenge last year’s finish.

“They’re motivated by that,” Kenney said of the sting that remains from the 2007 finish.

“I think we have the potential to go extremely far and do really well,” captain Monica Warek (midfielder) said.

The Nighthawks have proven they can win and are mostly reloaded with a bulk of the last year’s starting roster in place.

“We return eight starters, which is obviously absolutely a good thing,” Kenney said.

The team’s three senior captains are Warek, forward Kasey Schulz, and midfielder Tania Domingos. Other senior returnees are defender Jen Brewer, midfielders Caleigh Boyle and Brittany Papaj and goalkeepers Emily Kluga and Jenna Legros. Juniors include keeper Katie Pessin and fullbacks Taylor Smith and Ali Modzelewski, the latter of whom starts the year sidelined with a hip injury. Kenney said he expects Modzelewski back soon. The coach added that all three of the keepers were battling for the starting role as the preseason winded down last week.

Tough competition is to be expected from the usual SWC foes, including Bethel, Masuk, and Lauralton Hall. “The conference is outstanding,” Kenney said.

The Hawks, after opening the season against Brookfield this week, are scheduled to visit Hall on Friday. They face a rematch of last year’s SWC semis opponent when Bethel comes to town September 26, will visit Masuk on October 4, and host Barlow on October 10.

The goals this season are to win that elusive SWC title and go deep into the state playoffs, if not win that tourney as well.

“If everyone puts in all of their heart and hard work we can accomplish everything we want to,” Schulz said.

“I think if we play with heart and play together and stay focused everything will come,” Domingos added.