SOUTHBURY — After playing to a scoreless tie late in the regular season, the Newtown and Pomperaug High School girls' soccer teams needed a lot of extra time — 80 minutes of regulation was followed by a pair of ten-minute overtimes and two rounds of penalty kicks — to decide things in their South-West Conference Tournament semifinal matchup.

Host and No. 2 seed Pomperaug prevailed 2-1 (5-3 in PKs) over No. 6 Newtown on October 28. The teams endured a 20-plus minute delayed start after Newtown's bus was stuck in traffic and arrived late for what was supposed to be a 7 pm matchup. Then the stadium lights, on a timer to shut off at 9 pm, went out for 15 minutes late in regulation. Add a pair of OT periods and PKs, and things were not decided until close to 10:30 pm.

A long but action-packed, dramatic night of soccer.

The Nighthawks fell behind 1-0 early in the opening half and came out strong out of the break, dominating possession and creating numerous scoring chances, particularly in the first 25 minutes of the second half.

Delia Stango dribbled up the left wing, got behind the defense, and blasted a shot into the far, upper right corner of the net, past Pomperaug standout goalkeeper Maddie Martino, knotting the score 7:25 into the half.

Newtown was turned away on subsequent chances, including off corner kicks taken by Olivia Fernandes and a well-placed free kick by Gianna Mascaro that Martino knocked away.

Pomperaug had some late-game and overtime opportunities and Nighthawk goalkeeper Elise Ansman and her defense helped keep things even. Ansman made a tough save only 23 seconds into the first OT. Stango had Newtown's best extra time chance in the second OT but Pomperaug's defense pressured her into a shot off target.

In the first round of five-per-team PKs, the first attempt by each side went just wide. Then Fernandes scored and teammate Sara Ruddy banged one on off the bottom of the cross bar to answer a Pomperaug tally. After the Panthers again tied things, Sadie Singlak's lefty boot gave NHS a 3-2 edge. Martino made a stop to give her team a chance to even the score in the bottom half of the fifth round and the Panthers capitalized to force another best-of-five round.

Pomperaug scored on its first and third attempts with Martino netting one of those, and Marino made diving saves on three shots to seal the win on Newtown's third attempt of the second round.

Newtown Coach Adam Bourret certainly had a lot to be pleased with following his team's efforts and given penalty kicks are — pretty much universally — not the preferred way to setting things.

"One hundred percent — that's the first thing I said to them. I'm proud of their effort," Bourret said.

Newtown's coach added that the product his team put on display was fun to watch.

The Nighthawks would have preferred to have another chance at the title after falling to Notre Dame Prep of Fairfield in the pinnacle contest last fall. Notre Dame, the top seed, will face Pomperaug Sunday, November 1 at Western Connecticut State University beginning at 4 pm.

NHS will look to bounce back in the state playoffs. Bourret said his team earned an opening-round bye and likely will be off from game action until Monday or Tuesday, November 9 or 10.

"It's tough, but we'll see. It's a whole new season," the NHS coach said of losing in PKs and regrouping for the state tourney.