Newtown High School’s boys’ soccer team will look to be a factor in the South-West Conference with a mostly-new look. In addition to Charley Amblo taking over head coaching duties (see related story), the roster is significantly different following the graduation of 14 players.

As preseason unfolded this week, Amblo evaluated dozens of prospective varsity team members as he finalizes the roster.

Captains are Cam Trivers, Owen Baillargeon, and Rilind Limani and each stand to play significant roles in the success of the squad — on and off the pitch.

All three players have significant varsity experience and are top-notch leaders, Amblo said. Trivers is expected to be the starting goalkeeper, and the positions Baillargeon and Limani will hold are yet to be determined. One thing for sure is that Baillargeon will be leaned on heavily by the coach.

“He’s going to be doing everything. He’s going to be me on the pitch,” Amblo said of Baillargeon having on-field responsibilities to help guide the team.

Amblo has yet to see how Newtown stacks up against its South-West Conference rivals and said that while he has a style of play in mind, the players ultimately will dictate what transpires on the field.

“I want to be competitive, but I want to be competitive by the right means,” said Amblo, adding that his team will have “a cerebral approach where the players are making decisions.”

Amblo will look for a strong effort from his team and knows the results may not be completely within its control but that the Nighthawks can do their part to dictate how things go.

“Winning and losing is a by-product of your efforts and your opponents’ efforts. Winning and losing is out of your control, but you can always control your efforts,” he said.

The players say New Milford and Joel Barlow of Redding are expected to be among the better teams in the SWC this fall. Barlow won last year’s conference championship, defeating Masuk of Monroe in the pinnacle game.

Last year, the Nighthawks went 12-2-2 in the regular season and were knocked out of SWC tournament in the semifinals by Masuk and the Class LL state tournament in the first round as Fairfield Warde eliminated Newtown in a tight contest decided by penalty kicks.

The Nighthawks were to begin the regular season on Thursday, September 6, against New Milford but the game was postponed due to rain, and rescheduled for Saturday, September 22 at noon. NHS visits Hamden Saturday, September 8, also at noon.