The stadium lights went out with less than five minutes left in a tied Southwestern Conference semifinal match between Pomperaug and Newtown.
Madelyn Martino’s performance in the penalty kick shootout that followed was lights out in every other sense.
The Pomperaug goalkeeper stopped five consecutive Newtown penalty kicks when it mattered the most and even scored one of her own as the Panthers beat the Nighthawks 5-3 in a penalty shootout Wednesday night.
“Our goalkeeper saved the game for us,” Pomperaug head coach Corrado Perrugini said. “One of her saves was really fantastic.”
“We’re a really good defensive team, and at the end of the day, it’s a full-team effort defensively,” he added.
Pomperaug will play Notre Dame Prep on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. at Western Connecticut State University for the conference championship – a feat that the Panthers haven’t accomplished since 2013.
The teams were tied at 1-1 after regulation, a 20-minute blackout, and two scoreless overtimes.
Without warning, the stadium’s lighting shut off at 9 p.m. When play resumed, the final five minutes passed without a goal, as did both 10-minute overtime periods.
The minutes of darkness allowed both teams to catch their breath while administrators scrambled to get the lights back on.
“I knew there wasn’t much time left, so I was getting myself mentally prepared,” Martino said after the match.
After four rounds of penalty kicks, Newtown led 3-2. That’s when Martino took over, stopping the next five Newtown penalty kicks. She made the go-ahead penalty kick herself, and Campbell Macumber froze the Newtown keeper and put her kick into the left side of the net, making it 5-3.
A final save from Martino clinched the victory and an appearance in the SWC championship.
“Knowing that we deserve this, because we’ve been the team to beat, it gave me the drive to put this away for my teammates,” Martino said.
Sam Montello recorded a goal off a corner kick in the first half for Pomperaug to open the match. Newtown’s Delia Stango scored the equalizer eight minutes into the second half.
The Pomperaug victory also avenges last year’s SWC semifinal, a 2-1 loss to Newtown.
It lit a fire under the team when they were given the opportunity for redemption, especially for Montello, a senior who has missed time with multiple injuries in her career.
Montello was watching from the sidelines all last season, recovering from multiple knee injuries. On Wednesday, she left her mark on the game by converting both in regulation and penalty kicks.
“Coming back with these girls, the team has been the best part,” Montello said. “Winning is amazing, but regardless of the result, I feel like a winner every day for being on a team with these girls.”
Montello suffered a torn ACL, MCL, and meniscus injury that sidelined her for her entire freshman season. As a sophomore, she injured the same knee and only played half the season. In preparation for her junior year, she tore her other ACL, sidelining her all of last year.
“Coming off these injuries, it’s building confidence every game,” Montello said. “You come back, and you’re scared, obviously, but these girls made me feel like I could come back. They’re my whole purpose for this.”
Those scoring penalty kicks for Pomperaug from the spot include: Montello, Martino, Eliana Dani, Regan Brooks, and Campbell Macumber.
For Newtown, the match was described as a “pile of crazy moments” by head coach Adam Bourrett, citing the delayed start to the match (due to the Newtown bus being in traffic) and the 20-minute intermission without lights.
“Put it all together, we just tried to keep them locked in,” said Bourrett. “The girls had flashlights on the sidelines to keep us all warm and loose.”
Following Saturday’s conference championship game, the Panthers will be placed in the Class L state tournament and will continue their postseason run.
By Evan Triantafilidis
