Newtown High School’s field hockey and girls’ and boys’ soccer teams combined to go 2-0-1 against their rivals from Masuk of Monroe, on October 1. The boys’ booters began things with a 2-0 victory, and the field hockey squad followed up with a 3-0 blanking of the Panthers under a light but steady rain. Both of those triumphs were on the road. Shortly after the field hockey girls wrapped up their victory, Newtown’s girls’ soccer team came from behind for an exciting 2-2 tie with the visiting Panthers at soggy Blue & Gold Stadium.

In the boys’ soccer clash, both of Newtown’s net-finders were on headers. Brian Araujo broke a scoreless tie with about two minutes remaining in the first half, and Shane Gattey got his head on a free kick off the foot of James Cochrane from about 45 yards out, in the second half.

Nighthawk goalkeepers Zach Laros and Nick Beourgouis combined to keep the Panthers off the board with the help of the defense, including Cochrane, Forrest Weatherby, Chris Rovelli, Michael Meyer and Owen Sampson.

In the girls’ soccer game, all of the scoring came in the second half. Sarah Houle put one home on a penalty kick with just 33 seconds left in regulation to help the Nighthawks salvage the deadlock. Houle’s goal came moments after Makenna Cerney was fouled inside the 18-yard box.

"It feels like a win," Newtown Coach Marc Kenney said. "The game was what I expected; it was Masuk, it was intense, it was physical."

Houle scored Newtown’s other goal when she answered Masuk’s first tally midway through the second half. The goal was scored after Maddy Sieber’s free kick from approximately 35 yards away was headed by Alana Murray. Sieber also clanked a 25-yard free kick off the crossbar.

The Nighthawks have made it a habit to score late to either pull out wins or salvage ties en route to a 5-2-2 record thus far.

"To see their hard work get rewarded, that's what it's all about," Kenney said.

The field hockey team didn’t let the rain or somewhat unfamiliar natural grass surface at Masuk High slow it down. The Hawks scored twice in the opening seven minutes as Lauren Zimmerman scored the first of her two goals and Shannon Lynch put a shot into the back of the cage.

Read more about each of these teams in the October 9 print edition of The Bee.