Girls Soccer Shut Down by First Place Joel Barlow

All year, Newtown High girls soccer coach Marc Kenney has heard about how good South-West Conference foe Joel Barlow can be. So when the two teams met for the first time Tuesday, he knew the pressure rested solely on the Falcons.

"They've been telling people all year how good they are, publicly and privately," Kenney said of Joel Barlow. "In that respect, they have to win these games and they have to win the SWC title and they have to win the state title. That's how it goes. If you're going to tell people that you're good, you better perform."

On Tuesday, the Falcons did exactly what they have done through seven of the season's first eight games during which they outscored their opponents 45-3, including a shutout victory over four-time defending conference champion Masuk.

Led by two goals from midfielder Fiorella Johnson — a first team All-SWC selection last year — the Falcons improved to 8-0-1 on the season with an all-around dominating 4-0 win over the Nighthawks at Treadwell Park. Newtown dropped to 5-2-3 on the year.

"I think Barlow is a very good team. They were better than us, today" Kenney said. "They're a little more athletic."

Johnson broke a scoreless tie 21 minutes into the first half as she collected a rebound off a cross from teammate Lilly Crieghton and knocked the ball past Newtown goalkeeper Casey Rutter.

"As much as it's big for them, it's bad for us," Kenney said of the goal. "That goal, it hurts because you're fighting to come back from that."

Just nine minutes later the uphill climb got even tougher for Newtown as Joel Barlow midfielder Ella Creighton picked up a loose ball 30 yards from the Nighthawks' net, took one touch, and drilled a shot into the upper right corner of the net.

"The first 15 minutes of both halves — it was scrappy, and then we just started to settle down and start passing," Joel Barlow coach Neil Phillips said. "The first 15 minutes was scrappy, we start finding our shape, and then we're tough to play against."

Holding a two-goal lead entering the second half, the Falcons wasted little time in putting the match out of reach for Newtown. Just seven minutes into the half, Crieghton stole a ball at midfield, raced in alone on Rutter, and pocked a shot into the back of the net, giving the Falcons a 3-0 edge.

Johnson capped off the scoring with eight minutes to play as she dribbled into the Newtown box, fought off a defender, and perfectly placed a shot just inside the far left post.

"The pressure's on them, not on us," Kenney said of Joel Barlow. "We graduated a bunch of kids, so for me, these games are, see how we do."

Coupled with a 4-0 loss to Masuk last week, the Nighthawks have now lost two of their last three matches since opening the season 4-0-3. Nonetheless, Kenney said he isn't concerned about his team's recent struggles.

"The season is 15 games and all we're playing for initially is to get a seed in the conference tournament," he said. "Obviously if you finish in the top four you get a first-round game at home. That's the goal."