Field Hockey SWC Semi-Finals: Pomperaug 1, Laurelton Hall 0

Pomperaug's field hockey team advanced to the finals of the SWC tournament with a 1-0 win over Laurelton Hall in a semi-final game played Tuesday at New Fairfield High School. The close game was decided by a single second half goal by Panthers senior Jamie Silverman that eluded Crusaders goalie Rebecca Napolitano.

"We overcame a lot to get it," said Panthers coach Linda Dirga. "We had a lot of chances, but their goalie is great and we struggled to get it in."

Laurelton Hill's goalie, the daughter of Coach Theresa Napolitano, recorded 18 saves, constantly shunning Pomperaug shots from up close. The Panthers recorded 21 shots on goal to five for the Crusaders and took 16 corner shots to four for Laurelton Hall.

One of the corners finally paid off for the Panthers. Jamie Silverman rebounded a corner shot by senior Abby Dwyer with 13:11 to play in the game and snuck it in to break the scoreless tie. It was enough to secure the win and advance the Panthers to Thursday night's championship game at Weston High School.

The Panthers will play arch rival New Milford, which advanced to the finals with a 1-0 overtime win over New Fairfield in the second semi-final game.

Pomperaug contends for the SWC title every year but hasn't won it for the past two. "We want to win the SWC more than anything," Jamie Silverman said. "It's a really big deal for us. We're gonna give everything we got. New Milford is our rival and it will be great to play them."

The teams split games in the regular season, New Milford winning 1-0 in a game played at Pomperaug Oct. 14 before the Panthers won 2-0 on the Green Waves field Oct. 25 in a dominating performance that was their biggest win of the year.

New Milford is the top ranked team in this year's SWC championship with Pomperaug ranked second. The Green Wave beat the Panthers 3-1 in last year's SWC championship game, but the Panthers are poised to win it all Thursday night at Weston in a game that starts at 7:30 p.m.