WOODBURY— Under the lights and under pressure, Nonnewaug and Shepaug field hockey teams battled in a rivalry showdown for the Berkshire League tournament championship, Oct. 29.

With the game tied 1-1 after four quarters and double overtime, the Chiefs secured the title with a 3-0 shootout win, finalizing their 2-1 victory. The Chiefs claimed their first BL tournaments win in 6 years.

Senior captain and defender Laila Jones was riding a high after their win against the number one seeded Spartans.

“I feel really good,” Jones said. “Freshman year, our record was backwards, and we had lost every single game. Now we’re BL Tournament Champs. The growth is just crazy, and we’ll continue to do the same in states.”

Both teams had a crowd of student fans screaming for them, and sophomore Payton Brown thinks it helped everyone play harder.

“The game truly showed how much heart you can feel,” Brown said. “You could feel the intensity, not only from my teammates and coaches, but the fans and the parents. The adrenaline we all got made our hearts beat faster every play, and there were some points where you got so nervous that you tuned everything out. Time just stopped.”

As both teams lined up for a shootout, Nonnewaug sophomore goalie Fiona Scozzafava new what was on the line, and she helped shut out all three Shepaug players.

She attributes this win to the teams’ dedication and all-out effort throughout the season.

“Something that changed this year was the focus and motivation,” Scozzafava said. “Stepping onto the field this summer, we all had large goals and aspirations for this season, and winning this game. It is especially great to win and see all of our work this season pay off.”