Boys Soccer Notches 8th Win

Members of the Newtown boys soccer team entered last week knowing they would be tested by two of the best teams in the South-West conference in a schedule that had them playing three games in the span of five days.

First up was Bunnell, a team ranked in the top 30 in the nation in a pre-season poll. Led by the defensive efforts of Josh Barrett, Logan Puleri, Drew Sullivan, Jimmy Mooney and goalkeeper Austin Puleri, the Nighthawks shut down the potent Bunnell offense and battled to a 0-0 tie. 

Next up was a feisty New Milford team. Much like the Bunnell game, a defensive battle ensued. With great efforts from Eric Fiore, Stephen Conway and Ryan Dunnigan, the Green Wave was left with nearly no opportunity to score.

Another no-score tie looked to be in the works, although a late second-half goal on a header from Pat Riccardi, assisted by Ryan Dunnigan, allowed Newtown to walk away with a 1-0 win.

The Nighthawks ended the week, playing host to one of the pre-season SWC favorites, Brookfield. Both teams came out with great intensity. With several diving saves from Austin Puleri, the Nighthawks kept the Bobcats at bay. The first half appeared headed toward a scoreless tie until sophomore Nate Kalra found the net with 10 seconds remaining to give Newtown a 1-0 lead. Midway through the second half, Logan Puleri made it 2-0 with a shot from 30 yards away.

That was all the Nighthawks needed as they closed Brookfield out and walked away with their third consecutive shutout. The win left Newtown with the state’s sixth best record at 8-1-2. Next up, Newtown plays host to Kolbe on Monday.