Having a co-op team for any sport can sometimes lead to a lack of chemistry among the players, with multiple schools having to come together for a common goal. For the Westbrook/Lyme-Old Lyme field hockey team, the squad faced the challenge head-on and went full-speed ahead towards its best season in recent memory.

After a 12-win regular season that saw the Knights battle some tough adversaries, they entered the Shoreline Conference Tournament as the No. 2 seed. The team took a tough 1-0 loss to No. 3 Haddam-Killingworth in the semifinals on Oct. 25. Westbrook/Lyme-Old Lyme then headed to the Class S State Tournament as the No. 7 seed, taking a 2-1 overtime loss vs. 10th-seeded Lauralton Hall in the first round on Nov. 4 to finish a very strong campaign at 12-6.

“We had a lot of firsts for our program this year. This was our first 12-win season and hosting a first-round state playoff game. I think we did very well,” said Head Coach Janet Dickey, who has been with the program for 35 seasons. “I am very pleased with the girls.”

The Knights have been a co-op team for the past four years due to low numbers in both schools. One of Dickey’s former players, who is also the Athletic Director for Lyme-Old Lyme, reached out to co-op in 2020, and it’s been full speed ahead since. Four senior captains led the team this fall, with two coming from each school. Samantha Fiske (defender), Selina Erekson (defender), Eimy Novillo (defender), and Gabriella “Bella” Ziegler (defender) were the squad stewards.

“We had two Lyme-Old Lyme girls and two Westbrook girls, so there was always someone at your school if you needed to go to them. They worked really well; they each had their strengths and brought something different to the table, which is what you want when you have captains,” said Dickey. “Selina is the player that you can go to talk about anything, Eimy was the silent one but was a leader on the field with her play, Bella was the emotional one that really likes to fire everyone up, and Sam’s game really came along with leaps and strides.”

Although the Knights fell short of their postseason aspirations, they have played several competitive games, and two of their regular season losses came in overtime. This was the first year since 2021 that the team had 12 or more wins on the campaign.

Several players helped contribute to the 12-win season, including Brooke Ouellette (junior, midfielder), Novillo, Grace Vincent (sophomore, goalkeeper), Zeigler, Erekson, and Sybil Neary (junior, midfielder).

“Brooke was our leading scorer - she had 19 goals and six assists. In the backfield, Novillo was our top defenseman, and Grace had 10 shoutouts this season,” said Dickey. “Sybil Neary and Bella were both huge contributors for us this year, as well. Selina made really impressive improvements to her game this year and was a great leader.”

Alyssa Leandri (junior, forward), Ouellette, Novillo, and Vincent earned spots on the All-Shoreline Conference First Team. Second Team honors went to Anne-Marie Hinckley (junior, midfielder) and Ziegler, and Erekson earned an Honorable Mention. Co-player of the Year was awarded to Ouellette, with Vincent as Co-goalkeeper of the Year and Dickey as Co-coach of the Year.

Another contributor for the Knights this season included Fiske, who only played two seasons with the team.

“Sam started with us as a junior, and I just wish we had all four years with her. Her game really came along coming off of the bench this season,” said Dickey. “It was really wonderful to watch them all come together and really reach their potential, which I feel like they did.”

Vincent and Ouellette were named First Team All-State athletes, and Novillo was named to the Second Team for Class S.

The 12-win campaign for the Knights didn’t always come easily. As the team worked through the rough patches, the athletes had to stay strong mentally and trust their skills and abilities.

“I think the challenging part was them really believing and being confident with themselves. As the season went on, they got there,” said Dickey. “They are going to be right out of the gate next year, just building up that confidence, because this was unusual for them to be cruising along and doing so well.”

As the seasons change, the Knights are already looking forward to next fall. Dickey has high hopes for a team that will be stacked with veterans come September.

“We are losing three starters and just four seniors, so we are returning mostly everyone next year, and we are very excited to pick up right where we left off,” Dickey said. “That is our goal for next year, to continue where we left off. Emily (assistant coach) and I are just so excited for next year, but we are sad to see the group of seniors go. Grace (Vincent) will be a year older and a year stronger. Really what we need from these guys, especially the juniors, is just to work on their game in the offseason and be ready to go right out of the gate come August.”

Dickey is assisted by Emily Alger, who has been with her for the past 27 years.

The Knights co-op team is comprised of Fiske (Lyme-old Lyme), Erekson (Lyme-, Novillo, Ziegler (Lyme-old Lyme), Alexandra Bransfield (junior, forward), Annabelle Coppola (junior, midfielder/forward), Katherine Ford (junior, defender), Elena Gerardo (junior, forward, Lyme-Old Lyme), Hinckley (Lyme-old Lyme), Leandri, Daniela Marin (junior, forward), Nayeli Marin (junior, midfielder), Neary, Ouellette, Madeline Trepanier (junior, forward, Lyme-Old Lyme), Ceciley Buckley (sophomore, defender), Vincent, Addison Lynch (freshman, defender), and Madison Reicher (freshman, was injured this season).