Coming in at No. 6 in our top 20 teams are the Hurricanes of Westhampton Beach. This year they are looking to follow up what was the most successful season in the history of their program where they won the Class B Long Island Championship in a historic six overtime affair. This year they move over to Class C, adding to what was already the deepest conference on the island. They return a total of 19 players and are coached by Mary Bergmann who is in her tenth season at the helm. Coach Bergmann expressed her excitement about her returning team and the challenges that lie ahead. “We are so excited to be back together on the field and make some waves in Class C. As the number two seed overall we don’t have an easy schedule so this year is going to be a lot of fun but it’s also going to be challenging because of how many quality programs are in C this year.”
The overall offensive talent is filled with both experienced upperclassmen and youth that will be impacting the program for the next handful of years. Starting with their upperclassmen, senior Reilly Mahon the Loyola commit returns after finishing with a total of 23 points with 14 goals and nine assists last season. Mahon is also valuable on the defensive side of the ball and will likely take a large share of the draws this season. They also welcome back Peyton Worby (Wagner) among their returning upperclassmen. The Hurricanes have a bevy of young guns that have already made a name for themselves and will continue to raise their game over time. In the class of 2025, Reese King already enters her third season as a varsity starter and has quickly become one of the island’s young phenoms. Offensively King is a goal scoring machine going both right or left. She can score in numerous ways whether its a result of off-ball movement, dodging, or connecting on 8-meter opportunities. On the circle she is exceptional at winning draws to herself and defensively she is keen at reading opposing defenses and anticipating plays to create turnovers.
Adding to this core group of underclassmen is sophomore Lily Graves and freshman Ava Derby. Graves also enters her third year on varsity and is a Swiss army knife that can play either midfield or defense, bringing quickness, toughness and is a ground ball machine that clears the ball in a blink, leading to transition opportunities. Derby, a starter as an eighth grader in last year plays the game beyond her years and never lets the game get too fast for her. A memorable first year on varsity where she had 26 goals and 10 assists is only the beginning of what will be a big time high school career.
Looking at Westhampton’s defense, they have premiere goaltending in sophomore Maya Farnan. As a freshman she had a superb season, not just with her remarkable 170 saves with a 54% save percentage, but with her ability to make saves that looked nearly impossible, and the way she elevated her level of play as the games got bigger and bigger. This year there is zero doubt that Farnan will deliver once again as one of the island’s top goalies. A few of their key returning defenders who will be playing in front of Farnan are last year’s LIC hero Bella Blanco, Chloe Mosher (Wingate), Kenzie Schindler (Southern Connecticut), and Gabriella Wendel. Statistically the Hurricanes allowed an average of 7.1 goals per game in 2022.
Though they return the vast majority of their team this year, they will be without key 2022 graduates Olivia Rongo, Lily Berchin, Mia Failla and Madison Mosher. Hailey Donahoe is one of their younger players that showed a lot of promise in the winter league according to coach Bergmann. With the conclusion of tryouts it will soon be seen which other young guns will be in the fold this season to be part of their rotation.
As for the challenging schedule that lies ahead, their first regular season game takes place March 28th against Smithtown West. The Class C opponents that they will be competing against as they fight for seeding in the postseason include Sayville (4/11), Shoreham Wading River (4/17), Miller Place (4/19), Bayport Blue Point (4/25), Mt. Sinai (5/3), and Rocky Point (5/11). Also on their schedule as non-league opponents are New Canaan (4/13), and Sacred Heart CT (5/6).
Katie Lanning a 2024 should have an impact. A standout on JV last year and a d1 commit to Queens University of Charlotte . Speed with skill can defend.