An ergonomic facemask for a headpiece, including a wire cage having a plurality of horizontal wires and a plurality of vertical wires. The plurality of horizontal wires includes a horizontal wire configured to extend forward of a user's face at a height between the user's nose and the user's upper lip, and the plurality of vertical wires includes a center vertical wire that extends along the sagittal line of a user's face. The mutual arrangement of the center vertical wire together with the horizontal wire adequately shields a user's face while avoiding interference with the user's field of view.