No. 9 Ranked Westhampton Beach Hurricanes Team Preview

Now inside the top 10 of the LILJ top 25 preseason rankings, in Suffolk Class C the Westhampton Beach Hurricanes come in at number 9. Last year they won 11 games which included an opening round playoff game with a trip to the semifinals where they were defeated by Sayville. This team has been in contention for the last handful of years, and this year they will once again be right in the mix for a deep playoff run in what is a very talented Class C. They are coached by Mary Bergmann and they have a number of returning players giving them plenty of experience going into the season. This winter Westhampton took part in the LILJ High School Winter League to get set for the spring.

Westhampton’s offense is spearheaded by their UNC bound senior midfielder Reese King, who put together an All-American season last year. King led the team in points last season with 53 goals and 23 assists for 76 points. Adding to their talented returning cast of upperclassmen is junior Maryland commit Ava Derby, and seniors Brie Provenzano (Quinnipiac), Lily Graves (Binghamton), Meaghan Tufano (Hofstra), Maiya Boughal (Dartmouth) and Shannon Killoran (Wagner). Offensively last season Westhampton’s offense averaged just under 10 goals per game. In the sophomore class Reagan Schindler has the chance for a breakout season after seeing the field as a freshman and scoring 11 goals with 4 assists for 15 points.

On the defensive side of the ball they return defenders Hailey Donahoe in the senior class and juniors Ava Failla (Drexel), Caeden Dorn (LIU), and Dagny Beasley. In the cage they have one of the top goalies on the island in senior UPenn commit Maya Farnan who made 127 saves last year which was good for the fifth most in all of Suffolk County. With Farnan in the cage she will surely keep them in virtually every game. As a team their defense allowed fewer than eight goals per game last year.

Coach Bergman shared what excites her about the team this season and what the keys to success will be.

“This team wants to end their Westhampton Beach careers how they started it, with a championship. Seeing the growth from kindergarten to now makes this season so exciting. Playing hard and playing smart. The shot clock is going to change the game and teams will have to be able to adjust. Taking each game seriously but also not forgetting to have fun and remember why you play lacrosse. This should be an exciting time of year where all your hard work comes to fruition. We have a deep team and some great newcomers trying out. We plan to take it one day at a time and adjust as needed throughout season.”

The season opener for Westhampton will be March 29th in a non-league matchup against Ward Melville, and their first game in league play is on April 1st against Babylon the reigning Class D County Champions.