Falling behind by three goals early in the first half didn’t faze the Greenwich High School girls lacrosse team much in their CIAC Class L Tournament game against host Newtown on Tuesday.

Instead of worrying about the deficit, the Cardinals came back strong and as a result, are moving on in the tournament.

Finishing the first half with five straight goals, 15th-seeded Greenwich eliminated second-seeded Newtown in the opening round of the Class L Tournament, registering a 12-7 comeback win. Greenwich will play in Friday’s 5 p.m. Class L quarterfinals against seventh-seeded Fairfield Ludlowe.

Sophomore midfielder Sophia Neitzell scored the game’s first goal for the Cardinals, but Newtown responded by scoring four unanswered goals to take a 4-1 lead.

“While Sophia Neitzell came out to play and converted early with the first goal, we struggled on the draw and found ourselves trailing, 4-1,” Greenwich coach Tara Clough said. “We came up with some key possessions and finished out the half ahead 6-4.”

Sophomore attack Cece Tauber recorded a hat trick, as did junior attack Noey Johnson for Greenwich, which defeated Hamden in the Class L Tournament’s qualifying round. Freshman attack Emma Abbazia also tallied three times for the Cardinals, while adding an assist. Senior midfielder/captain Grace Collier had one goal and notched two draw controls for Greenwich, which received one goal and one assist from senior attack/captain Delaney Roth.

Neitzell added a goal for the Cards, who received four saves from Daryl Furno. Junior Isabella Butler had four goals for Newtown.

“We were disciplined on defense,” Clough said. “Our leadership on the field helped us seal the victory. It was a total team effort and a big win for Greenwich today. We are thrilled to see Ludlowe again.”