Quinlan nets 4 goals as Wildcats crush University Park 8-0 in state tourney

Junior striker Will Quinlan scored 4 goals as the Westport Soccer team crushed University Park 8-0 in the round of 32 during a Division 5 state tournament home game on Monday afternoon. 

"Will did a really nice job timing his runs into the box,” said Wildcats' head coach Chris Parker. “He had a couple of exceptional attacking headers."

Perhaps his best was when Quinlan narrowly beat the U. Park keeper for his fourth goal of the game. The striker perfectly timed  a Ben Novo cross, elevated and headed the ball into the net to give Westport a 7-0 advantage.

The win improved the 8th seeded Wildcats' record to 18-0-1 as they move to the round of 16 to play 24th seeded Hull in a home game on Thursday at 2 p.m.

Midfielder Carter Couto scored 3 goals and Tommy Bernard netted one goal as Westport dominated play from the start. Ben Novo, Zachary Lopes, Nyzaiah Pacheco, and Ben Cross all chipped in with assists. Lopes and Cross joined Ryan Borges, Marcos Dutra Africano, Matt Costa, and Nick Stanton in helping Noah Amaral (5 saves) secure his 13th clean sheet of the season. 

Girls soccer team falls to Maynard 7-2 in round of 32

The Westport girls soccer team fell to Maynard 7-2 in the round of 32, during the Division 5 state tournament on Monday night. Seventh grade striker Lily Veracka and senior midfielder Tess Silvia each scored for the Wildcats. Goalkeeper Morgan Pacheco made 22 saves in the loss as they dropped their season record to 13-5-1.

Westport beat Pioneer Valley 7-2 in a preliminary home playoff game on Friday. Julia George, Ella Camara, and Korynne Holden each scored 2 goals and Kaelyn Butter scored one. 

“It was the team’s first state tournament win,” said head coach Gary Muello about the win over Pioneer Valley. “Our team controlled much of the game. Tess Silvia was key in the midfield, setting up our forwards.” 

Field hockey team falls to Frontier Regional 1-0 in round of 32

The Westport field hockey team fell to Frontier Regional 1-0 in the round of 32 of the Division IV state tournament in an away game on Friday. 

“It was a very evenly matched game vs the 12th seeded Falcons,” said head coach Jacqueline Legendre. “The game was a strong battle, unfortunately we weren’t able to get one in the back of the net.”

“Avery Avila played well in her last game as a Wildcat,” said Coach Legendre. “Jada Thurston, Makayla Grace, Bella Babb, and the entire squad played well.”

Goalkeeper Hannah Abrams made 5 saves during the game. 

“Having a young team, I wasn’t sure what the season would be like,” said Coach Legendre. “They’ve worked so hard. They had the odds stacked against them but rose above it all, having a winning season (12-7) despite being so young.”

Coach Legendre is looking forward to the potential that the team’s future holds. 

“They will be such a force to be reckoned with as they continue to play together,” she said. “Even though we won’t have Avery, which is a huge loss, the future is bright for them.” 

The Wildcats will return 17 players. The defensive unit is going to be tough to beat with juniors Colleen Smith, Jada Thurston, Emma Bessette, sophomore Molly Costa and Hannah Abrams between the pipes. The offense will also be very talented with Bella Babb and Maddie Melnyk and with experience they will continue to get stronge. 

“Next year will be about adjusting our offense and building the chemistry between the mids and forwards, I’m excited to see how far they’ll go,” said Coach Legendre.