Sophomore goalkeeper Hannah Abrams made seven saves as the Westport field hockey team fell to Bishop Stang 3-0 in the team’s home opener behind the old high school on Thursday. 

“We’re going to build from this,” said Wildcats head coach Jacqueline Legendre who began coaching the team in 2020. “We’ll work on different things that we can do better and come out strong next week.” 

Senior Molly Bazinet, junior Avery Avila and eighth grader Makayla Grace played well for Westport in the loss. 

Last season the Wildcats made the tournament with a record of 6-6-5, but the team graduated five seniors and lost most of their starting lineup according to Coach Legendre. 

This year’s team is ultra young with more than half the team consisting of seventh and eighth graders.

“We thought this was going to be a rebuilding year,” said Coach Legendre, “But we won our first two scrimmages and we are thrilled with the way our ladies are performing.” 

The Wildcats are led by captains, Bazinet who plays center forward and Avila who plays center half. Both players are grinders that play physical with speed and energy. “They are the roll models for the team,” Legendre said. “They are fantastic leaders.” 

Young team ready to compete

Coach Legendre feels that the Wildcats while very young, can compete in Mayflower League play, due to a number of skilled younger players that have come out for the team. 

“Some of them have been playing since third grade with Susan Fontaine who coaches the youth program in town,” Coach Legendre said. “Varsity level is different than playing in a youth league, but they have grown so much even from the first day of preseason. They have stepped up big time.” 

Makayla Grace an eight grader who is showing a lot of promise at inside forward/midfielder. Grace plays with a high motor and has all around skills for attacking and defense. Eighth grader midfielder Bella Babb also has unlimited potential. 

“She’s plays all over the field with great speed,” Coach Legendre said. “We also have eighth grader Kylie DeCambra at left forward. She does a great job of pushing the ball up the field.” 

Defense

The team has been practicing their defense as most of the newer players are offensive players. The Wildcats have two sophomore goalkeepers Hannah Abrams and Jada Thurston, vying for playing time. Abrams, the team’s current starter, has more experience between the pipes. Last season she backed up Lily Gifford and started at the junior varsity level. Thurston is relatively new to the position, but is making strides. 

“We are just learning and trying to find our niche,” said Coach Legendre. “We are just excited to keep learning and building.”