Entering the 2022 season Westhampton is ranked 24 in the LILJ preseason rankings. Last season the Hurricanes went 9-6 and appeared in the playoffs in Suffolk’s Conference B where they were defeated by Harborfields in the first round. This was the team’s eighth playoff appearance since 2013. They played in a number of close games and of their losses four of them came by one goal and the other two were by three. If they can turn some of those close defeats into wins this year, the Hurricanes will easily win north of 10 games. Mary Bergman is the head coach and is looking forward to what is the first normal season since 2019.
“We are excited to get back to a season where we can prepare, get adequate rest, and be competitive. Some of our main players this year have never played in a full varsity season (March-May) so we are really happy that every player in the program will get to experience the real deal this year.”
Westhampton was also a participant in the LILJ High School Winter League, so they are ready to hit the ground running come the spring. The vast majority of their team is back this year, led by All-Long Island midfielder Olivia Rongo (JMU). The star-studded senior recorded 57 points last year, caused 22 turnovers, won 29 draws, and had 26 ground balls. Rongo will be the quarterback of an offensive unit that has a bevy of talent around her. Lily Berchin (Fairfield) also returns for her senior season and is coming off of a 31 point season a year ago. Her 22 assists were good for the second most on the team.
The Hurricanes are filled with plenty of young guns who didn’t only see minutes last year but played an enormous role in the team’s success. Freshman attacker Reese King posted a stat line of 24 points, 13 ground balls, and 7 draw controls as an eighth grader a year ago. Eighth grade attacker Ava Derby added 14 points and 11 ground balls as just a seventh grader!
Lily Graves saw action on the defensive end last year as an eighth grader and made an impact with eight ground balls and three caused turnovers. She will be joined by senior defender Mia Failla (Duquesne), junior defender Reilly Mahon (Loyola), and sophomore defender Chloe Mosher. They will all be playing in front of freshman goaltender Maya Farnan who gets the nod as the starting goaltender this year. Farnan is fresh off of a strong winter league where she recorded 43 saves which was the third most in the league.
Two key losses for the Hurricanes from last year’s team are Maureen Duffy (UVA), and Jackie Amato (Holy Cross). Duffy was the engineer of the offense last year and had a team-high 68 points with 58 goals. Amato added 25 points and 16 ground balls which was the second most on the team. Their presence will surely be missed, but the returning talent will leave the team in great shape.
The schedule provides some great matchups this season against some of the powerhouses in Suffolk County. Notable games this season include at Sayville (3/29), home against Mt. Sinai (4/9), home against Comsewogue (4/19), and at Bayport (4/28).
Westhampton has a few notable alumni that are currently playing at the collegiate level. Belle Smith and Hollie Schleicher of Boston College are both preseason All-Americans this year.
