Girls Soccer Battles to Scoreless Draw With Newtown

The Newtown Nighthawks may have been unable to cash in on some early scoring opportunities, but their defense was similarly flawless against Pomperaug, as the two unbeatens settled for a 0-0 draw Monday at Tilson Field.

"The difference in the game was night and day. If we had played like this on Thursday, it would have been a completely different game," Kenney said. "It's not so much about the score. There's good ties and there's bad ties. That was a bad tie, this was a great tie."

While the Panthers' (2-0-1) scoring chances came seldomly — mainly on low-percentage shots from outside the box — the Nighthawks (1-0-2) generated quality opportunities, as they often pressured Pomperaug goalkeeper Kate Nadler just yards from the net. 

One of those chances came 27 minutes into the first half, as Nadler ran out to retrieve a cross, but was almost caught wandering too far. The two teams battled for the loose ball, and Nadler, who was already on the ground after diving to stop one shot, deflected a second kick out of bounds for a corner.

Less than five minutes into the second half, the Nighthawks again nearly broke their scoring drought. Forward Melissa Buccino drilled a shot from the edge of the box, but the ball was deflected by a defender and bounced just a few feet wide of the net.

Pomperaug entered the contest having outscored its opponents 10-0 this season — they previously defeated Bethel 4-0 and Stratford 6-0 — but the Nighthawks slowed down the Panthers by disrupting shots and clearing the ball when it was in their defensive end.

"We use our speed on the outside and through the middle, but they took us away from that," Pomperaug head coach Doug Brocksmith said. "We were kind of recovering more than we should have."

Newtown goalkeeper Casey Rutter turned aside the Panthers' finest scoring chance with just under 28 minutes left to play, as she dove and corralled a rolling shot that was headed for the right corner of the net.

While offense was at a premium, the matchup — which also ended in a scoreless draw last year — certainly didn't lack intensity. There were multiple stoppages for fouls and the aggression escalated as the game progressed.

"It was getting a little out of control," Brocksmith said. "My girls were getting frustrated because calls kept going against us. A couple of calls could have gone either way and went against us, but hey, that's soccer. If we lost, it wouldn't have been because of the ref, and we tied, it's not because of the ref. I think the referees overall did a good job and controlled the game pretty well."

Newtown defender Madeline Keane said the players tried to stay focused on the game.

"I thought we stayed composed under a lot of pressure and obviously a lot of anger from the other team," she said. "I thought we played well and didn't get too emotional."