For the past several weeks, the Rochester Knighthawks have been front and center on the local high school lacrosse scene as part of a new weekly series that will feature the latest news and notes, scores and stats of select games around the Greater Rochester Area.
This week’s High School Game of the Week sees the red-hot 7-4 Irondequoit Eagles playing host to the 5-5 Honeoye Falls-Lima (HFL) Cougars in girl’s lacrosse action on Tuesday.
The Cougars, playing their first of three games this week, come into the matchup after seeing their two-game win streak halted following a 13-12 setback to Mercy. Junior midfielder Whitley Easton led the way with a seven-point night (1+6) while senior midfielder Emma Calcagini accounted for a third of the team’s goals by tying a season-high with her second four-goal effort of the season.
It was HFL’s first-ever loss to Mercy in five total meetings between the two teams dating back to the 2005 season.
Committed to attend Mercyhurst in the fall of 2022, Whitley currently paces the Cougars offense with 23 assists and 36 points while Calcagni leads all players with a team-high 23 goals, including from beyond 8-meter arc.
Whitley, who has been held scoreless only once in eight games this season, has 17 points (5+12) in her last three games, including a season-high eight-point outing in the 15-8 win over Churchville-Chili. She leads HFL with 53 draw controls this season.
Named an All-League Second-Team selection in 2019, Calcagni has recorded at least one point in all 10 games so far this season and a has a goal in each game over that span.
Since 2009, the HFL girl’s lacrosse program has produced seven US Lacrosse All-Americans, most notably Caitlin Muir in 2017. Muir, who’s currently in her senior season at the University of Michigan, was named the 2017 All-Greater Rochester Player of the Year after scoring 63 goals and adding 30 assists for 93 points while leading the Cougars to the Section V Class C Championship in 2017. The year prior, she totaled 100 points on 54 goals and 46 assists and was an All-Greater Rochester selection.
A three-time First Team All-County selection, Muir became Michigan’s single-season points (59) and assists (21) leader as a sophomore and led the team in scoring the following year prior. She’s also a three-time letterwinner (2018-20) with the Wolverines and was named an Inside Lacrosse Honorable Mention All-American in 2020. Additionally, Muir was recently added to the Watch List for the Tewaaraton Award, presented annually to the most outstanding American college lacrosse men’s and women’s players.
Other notable HFL girl’s lacrosse alumni include Mackenzie Bushnell (Niagara University) – Brittany Chamberlain (Florida) – Ashley Guerra (Butler) – Caitlin Muir (Michigan) – Lexie Ruff (Virginia Tech) – Maria Villanti (Arizona State) – Eliza Wild (Niagara University).
Irondequoit is in the midst of its busiest stretch of the season with four games in six days this week, three of which are at home.
The Eagles, who are in action on back-to-back nights for the second time this season, enter the contest riding a four-game win streak after earning their second 10-9 overtime victory over Penfield in less than a week last night.
Sophomore attack Emma McGuian finished with a team-high three goals for Irondequoit while fellow sophomore midfielder Evin Terzioglu scored twice and added two assists in addition to winning five draw controls.
The Eagles enter the contest fueled by sophomore attack Maeve Brennan, who leads the team with 28 goals and 36 points. Brennan has scored at least one goal in each of her 11 games this season and has recorded hat tricks in six, including a pair of four-goal efforts.
McGuian, meanwhile, remains at a close second with 26 points, including a team-best 11 assists. She shows 10 goals over Irondequoit’s current four-game win streak, including a four-goal outing and two hat tricks over that span.
Notable Irondequoit girl’s lacrosse alumni include Annie Brennan (Siena) – Erika Sherwood (St. Bonaventure University).
