Freshman striker Maddie Melnyk scored 7 goals as the Westport field hockey team crushed Carver 6-1 in their first home game of the season on Tuesday, then fell to Bishop Stang 3-2 in an away game on Thursday to even their record at 1-1.

“Maddie had a fabulous game,” said Wildcats’ new head coach Susan Fontaine. “Not only did she score a double hat trick, but she transitioned to defense, tackled well and came up with the ball several times. “The girls also executed the offensive passing game plan that we have been working on.”

Melnyk scored her seventh of the season in the 3-2 loss to Stang onThursday. She also had an assist on Kylie Decambra's tally.  Bella Baab also assisted on a goal.  Defensively, Soares made 12 saves on Stang’s turf field which gave the slippery Spartans an advantage. Senior co-captain and sweeper Jada Thurston was Coach Fontaine’s player of the game. “Jada shutdown numerous attacks and cleared the ball out of the circle,” she said. “At one point she even dove across the goal and made a save.”

New head coach for Wildcats

Coach Fontaine who had several stints as the Wildcats’ head coach and middle school coach in her 35 year career, took over this season for Jacqueline Legendre, who didn’t come back after coaching for the last several years. She has given the Wildcats a new attacking scheme that features talented young players that she had coached while at the middle school. Melnyk is fierce as the team’s striker. She is a skilled hard-nosed player that goes after the ball and can shoot both on her forehand and backhand. Feisty sophomore Makayla Grace plays right wing and high energy sophomore Kaylin Pacheco is at left wing. Grace dribbles well and can place passes on the mark. Pacheco runs over opponents and won’t stop till she gets her stick on the ball.

Senior co-captains Colleen Smith, Emma Bessette and Jada Thurston are placed well down the middle of the field. Smith plays center midfield and is the heart of the team, according to Coach Fontaine, who moved her up from the defensive line.

“Center mid is the hardest position on the field,” she said. “Colleen is both experienced and talented. She’s fitting right in there.”

Bessette is also a midfielder. She can jump into the attack as well as help out on the defensive end. Thurston plays sweeper, the last defensive resort before an opponent can get to the goaltender, Soares.

Thurston plays the position like a stopper, thwarting the opponent’s attack sometimes before they get started and cross the midline.

Along with the three seniors, the young team consists of junior Molly Costa, sophomores, Grace, Pacheco, Bella Baab, Kylie Decambra and Lily McKay, freshmen Melnyk, Miranda Perry, Sophia Rego, Brianna Soares, Juliette Evans and Hailey Koster and seventh grader Jillian Melnyk.

“They all realize that they've got to play more than one position,” said Coach Fontaine. “That's what's needed. You can't be stuck on just one position. It's not valuable.”

Coach Fontaine would like the Wildcats to qualify for states as quickly as possible and play in the second round of the tournament.

“I want them to be just the best they can be,” she said.

Next up, the Wildcats host Wareham on Thursday, Sept. 12, at 3:45 p.m.