Westfield (Mass.) High girls soccer captain Kaela Mochak often thinks back to her freshman season a year ago, when the Bombers failed to win a single game.
"It was tough, coming in my freshman year and not getting any wins," Mochak said. "We had the talent, it’s just that we couldn’t merge everyone’s individual talents to be able to win."
A full season later, Westfield figured it out and then some. The resurgent Bombers won 13 regular-season games, clinched the Kurty-Fielding league title and advanced to the Western Mass. Division 1 semifinals.
They fell to top-seeded West Springfield in that round, but the complete team turnaround marked one of the most dramatic improvements from a Massachusetts high school team this fall.
In 2014 under head coach Keith Saltmarsh, the Bombers totaled four wins. They would win twice a year later before ending up with zero wins in 2016. That’s what makes this year so special for Saltmarsh and his squad.
