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09/30/2019 12:00 AMThe Westbrook field hockey squad came out of the gate strong this year and continues to be a formidable force in the Shoreline Conference in 2019. After winning three games this past week, the Knights’ record moved to 5-0-1 on the season. Westbrook scored a win over Shoreline opponent Morgan and also picked up a pair of out of conference victories against Fitch and Killingly. With a diverse team that includes steady senior leadership, Head Coach Janet Dickey’s squad looks prime to compete for a top spot in the Shoreline.
The Knights have had a good run of successful seasons including a Shoreline Conference championship in 2016. This year’s seniors were part of the program at that time, and they are eyeing their shot at another title after losing in the Shoreline finals in 2017 and 2018 according to Coach Dickey.
“I think we have team expectations like we always have. We just try to do our very best and reach our highest point and whatever comes from that will be the reward,” said Dickey. “We’ve talked about Shorelines. We’ve lost in the finals the last two years, and we’re hungry for it. The seniors won it as freshman and they want it again.”
Westbrook showed that hunger last week with three more wins. The Knights started out with a 4-2 victory at home over Killingly on Sept. 23. Coach Dickey was proud of her team for getting the win off the larger Class M opponent, especially since Killingly’s style of play makes them a tough team for Westbrook to beat.
“Killingly is traditionally up and down depending on the year, and this looks like one of their better years,” Dickey said. “They play an up-the-middle and hard-hitting style of game. We have a tough time matching up with them, but we made adjustments to come away with the win.”
Two days later, the Knights faced off with Morgan at the Indian River Complex and picked up a hard-fought 1-0 win. Coach Dickey has seen the continued improvement from the Shoreline rival and in this contest, the Huskies proved they are going to be a tough opponent for anyone this year. Senior captain Lexi Koplas scored the game’s only goal on a penalty corner in the first half.
“Lexi’s goal came about midway through the first half,” Coach Dickey said. “I thought Morgan played wonderfully, and they are greatly improved. We had to play defense really hard. [Senior captain] Kendall Orlowski and [junior] Karen Sicha made some great defensive stops in that game. It was all hands on deck, and [junior] Lauren Horne had eight saves.”
On Sept. 28, Westbrook earned a 2-0 road win against Fitch, who is another up-and-coming team according to Coach Dickey. Fitch’s goalkeeper played well and kept the game close even though the Knights had her under siege. Senior captain Alex Young—who leads Westbrook with seven goals on the year—played a key role in the victory scoring both of Westbrook’s goals.
“Alex Young had both goals for us with assists from [senior captain] Olivia Hartzell and [junior] Brooke Neri. Lauren only had to make three save in the goal for us, while Fitch’s goalie had 15 saves,” said Dickey. “Fitch is another team that has improved, as well. Across the board, there are some strong teams that are blasting through the competition and some others are looking better than they did last year. That’s nice to see in our sport.”
The play of Westbrook’s captains came up big this week, but it’s more than strong play that makes the Knights’ captains so valuable. Senior captains Hartzell, Koplas, Orlowski, and Young all have their own take on their vital roles, but they function well as a leadership unit.
“Kendall’s a vocal leader on and off the field. She is the team motivator, and she is a defenseman. Alex is more of a quiet, steady presence. She’s a midfielder, and the ball distributor. She gets the ball to the outside,” Dickey said. “Hartzell never gets rattled by anything. She made the move to left midfielder from right midfield. Koplas is a workhorse. They all are, but her especially. She’s not afraid to put herself in places for a chance to score. They’re all taking their on-field roles well and adjusting to them.”
The team has also been dependent on the skill of junior keeper Horne, who is in her third season in front of the net. Her goalie skills have gotten better since her freshman year, but most of all, her ability to communicate on the field has made a big difference.
“Lauren has been great, and she’s improving. Her confidence in her ability to leave the goal area has been great. She used to hang back a bit, but she’s been coming out and taking command of the circle,” Dickey said. “She’s back there vocally. The fact she’s a junior doesn’t hurt. She feels it’s more her place to be telling other players what to do as an upperclassman.”
Westbrook has been innovating in terms of different sets to run, and different modes of attack and it’s led to continued success for the squad. Coach Dickey hopes that her team’s strong start will lead to some more community support for the Knights.
“The overall strategy is sort of the same, but we have implementing some new things, too. If you’re not constantly changing and growing, you aren’t doing your job. The kids have been fantastic with it,” said Dickey. “I think field hockey is kind of foreign to a lot of people, but it’s not necessarily about the game as much as supporting the girls.. I’d love to see the community come out and watch and support us. Not only are they great players, but they are great ladies and great role models.”
• The Westbrook field hockey team’s roster includes senior captains Olivia Hartzell, Lexi Koplas, Kendall Orlowski, and Alex Young; juniors Marguerite Bartlett, Cierra Brundage, Megan Greaves, Lauren Horne, Brooke Neri, Bailey Roberts, and Karen Sicha; sophomores Marina Amenta, Juliana Gerena, Gabriella Koplas, and Samantha Nunez; freshmen Delaney Belcourt, Mayte Calle, Caroline Dias, Lisa Litevich, Brooke Millburne, Myan Nguyen, and Halley Pierson. The team’s scorekeeper is freshman Carley Thompson.
• Janet Dickey is in her 30th season as head coach of the Knights. Westbrook’s assistant coach is Emily McCabe-Algers.
• For the rest of the season, Westbrook plays home games against Valley Regional, Morgan, North Branford, and Old Saybrook. The Knights will also hit the road to face Old Saybrook, Somers, Haddam-Killingworth, Stafford, and Canton.