BY DAN STICKRADT
COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST | WEB AND CONTENT EDITOR | DIRECTOR OF NEWS
PH: (248) 884-1051
TW/X: @msn_stickradt @LocalSportsFans @MiSoccerNetwork
TROY, Mich. – Lexi Calcamuggio didn’t want to go into overtime or a potential shootout again Tuesday night.
The Rochester Adams sophomore goalkeeper and the sixth-ranked Highlanders have been there, done that during this 2024 postseason.
The red-hot netminder made one of the biggest saves of her life inside the final minute Tuesday night, and Adams wound up holding on for a 2-1 victory over Salem in the Division 1 state semifinals at Troy High School.
Adams celebrated like its 1999 shortly afterwards, as the Highlanders (15-2-2) advance to their first state finals game since – you guessed it – 1999. Adams will face 2021 state champion and 11th-ranked Hartland Friday afternoon at 4 p.m. at Michigan State University’s DeMartin Stadium with the stte crown on the line.
Calcamuggio timed her leap perfectly and got enough of her right hand on a 50-yard free kick laser from Salem senior midfielder and NCAA Division I Rutgers University signee Claire Hammill to knock it over the crossbar with 33 seconds remaining in the contest that was seemingly destined for the top shelf. The Highlanders were able to clear the ensuing cornerkick out of harm’s way and ran off the clock before the Rocks could regroup and get off another shot attempt.
“I saw her (Hammill) take some (set pieces) in the first half and I knew how hard she hit it, so I timed it perfectly and I knocked it over (the crossbar) to help run out the clock,” smiled Calcamuggio about her late-game save that helped seal the deal.
Adams, which has reached the state semifinals 12 times since launching its program back in 1983, had not played in the state semifinals since 2012. The Highlanders, who are ranked sixth – the highest the girls soccer program has been ranked in 12 seasons – captured a Class A state title in 1992 and again the Division 1 state crown in 1999, will be making their fifth appearance in the state title game. Adams was also the Class A state runner-up in 1990 and the Division 1 state finalist in 1998 before winning it all in 1999 with a star-studded roster of Division I and Division II college-bound players.
“It’s crazy because this is the year I saw it coming,” continued Calcamuggio. “I could feel it at the beginning of the season. We have a lot of seniors and I could see us (making a run). Last year we got knocked out in the first round of districts and that was not how we wanted to go out. I could see this team making a run (at the state title this year).”
The Highlanders, who have outscored their 19 foes this season 55-14 with seven shutouts and a 0.74 team goals-against-average, have now outscored their five postseason opponents 13-4 with two clean sheets.
Adams defeated Rochester 1-0 in a shootout (4-0 on PKs) where Calcamuggio registered a pair of saves on penalties and again was sterling in the 1-0, double-overtime victory over OAA-Red Division champion Troy last Thursday in the regional finals. She made six more saves Tuesday against high-powered Salem, which outscored its five postseason foes 12-4 with three shutouts.
It marks the second straight school year that Adams has reached the state title game in soccer, as the boys soccer team captured the fall 2022 Division 1 state title after tying for fourth in the deep OAA-Red Division but stringing together three impressive weeks when it counted most. The Highlanders have done something similar in girls soccer this spring with an impressive season and postseason run against quality competition.
“It’s a lot to do with these girls. These kids – the ones that have been (on Adams’ varsity) before for four years and three years have felt losing early these last few years in the playoff runs and the (disappointments). They always had wanted to do well,” said veteran Adams coach Josh Hickey, who as a head coach or assistant coach at Adams has been a part of a combined seven Final Four runs between boys soccer and girls soccer. “The couple of new pieces have come in and helped us and helped give us some momentum. (Catherine) Delikat didn’t play for us before and Jordan Volko comes in as a freshman and everything has kind of jelled. They did it. They’ve reached (the state finals).”
Adams came out super-charged against Salem and in their first semifinals appearance in 12 years and took it to the Rocks (15-6-5) in the first half. The Highlanders outshot Salem 7-4 in the first half but had an impressive 10-1 edge on cornerkicks during the first 40 minutes – and that fed into both of the first-half goals by Adams.
The OAA-Red Division runner-up Highlanders scored on just their second shot of the game with 26:21 remaining in the first half. Junior Samantha Hawkins bent her cornerkick into the box and junior Kaitlyn Dempster was on the doorstep in traffic to knock it home for a 1-0 advantage.
Adams was not done, as they continued to flood Salem’s end of the field and scored again off another cornerkick. This time Hawkins bent the ball towards the goal from the left side and it squirted over the goal line for a rare solo cornerkick goal with 3:07 left in the first half.
“We had a ton of set pieces tonight and we were able to score on a couple of them,” said Hickey “Would I have liked to score a third goal? Yes. But we held off Salem in the end. (Salem) is very good.”
Salem, which went into their first state semifinals game since 1995 on Tuesday, had outscored its opposition 54-22 leading into the Rochester Adams game. The Rocks would not go away quietly into the night, as Salem outshot Adams 8-5 in the second half and 4-1 with shots on frame.
The Rocks eventually cut into the two-goal deficit with 37:59 remaining off a cornerkick of its own. Hammill’s rope into the box was redirected by senior midfielder Lauren Driscoll and into the goal from close range.
Adams controlled the bulk of the play in the first half and Salem most of the play in the second half, although the Highlanders had a grand opportunity to knock home a set piece at the corner of the 18-yard line but misfired wide on the opportunity with 21 minutes to play.
The Rocks continued to press but could not net an equalizer and Adams’ Calcamuggio came through with the clutch, outstretched leaping save in the waning seconds to lift her team into the final weekend of the high school sports calendar.
“It’s the worst lead to have – 2-0. If the other team scores, momentum changes. The next goal is huge,” offered Hickey. “They changed the game when they scored. Their adjustments were very good. They are a good team and they deserve to be here. I’m proud of my team for gutting it out. You know when you’re battling through things individually and when you go this far (in the postseason), you’re sore and tired and they did a really good job (in our run).”
Both teams ended up with 12 total shots in the game, with Salem holding a slim 7-4 edge with shots on frame. Adams held a commanding 14-2 edge on cornerkicks in the match.
For Salem, the Rocks were not effective over the first 40 minutes and had to play catch up for most of the contest. The Rocks just couldn’t catch a break and net the equalizer to force overtime.
“It’s tough at this stage of the season. You can’t have a rough start to a game like this and I felt like that may have been the worse 40 minutes of soccer or worst half (we played all season),” admitted Salem coach Kyle Karns, whose boys soccer team at Salem also lost to Rochester Adams in the 2022 state semifinals. “Obviously, we rebounded in the second half. I challenged the girls at halftime, and (how) we could go in one of two directions. I’m glad to see the fight they displayed in the second half to give ourselves a chance. We scored the early goal (in the second half) and when (Adams) had the two-goal lead we kept fighting. Rochester Adams is so tough.”
The Rocks are also back as a powerhouse team after their long drought.
“We had a lot of youth this year and good seniors and now this is kind of the new benchmark (making long runs) and we hope to continue this success,” added Karns. “A lot of girls got a chance to experience this and have some success. It will hurt (the state semifinals loss) a little bit. But that’s what it takes to get to this level.”
AFFILIATED STORES:
GIRLS SOCCER: Rochester Adams edges Troy, advances to Final Four for the 12th time in school history: https://wix.to/EbEQWph
GIRLS SOCCER: GIRLS SOCCER: Model of consistency Rochester Adams seeks long tournament run:
GIRLS SOCCER: Calcamuggio stars as Adams outlast Rochester in shootout: www.michigansoccernetwork.com/post/girls-soccer-calcamuggio-stars-as-adams-outlast-rochester-in-shootout
GIRLS SOCCER: Salem blanks Grosse Pointe South to win first regional title since 1995: www.michigansoccernetwork.com/post/girls-soccer-salem-blanks-grosse-pointe-south-to-win-first-regional-title-since-1995
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(Have a story suggestion for the Premier Media Group and the Michigan Soccer Network regarding club soccer, high school varsity, amateur soccer, collegiate soccer or professional soccer of teams or players with Michigan ties, contact Communications Specialist/Web and Content Editor/Director of News Dan Stickradt via email at stickradt@michigansoccernetwork.com, or call 248-884-1051. Dan Stickradt is a 31-year veteran of the Michigan Media circles and recently joined the staff full time in March of 2024. Want to schedule a broadcast game or live show, contact PMG/MSN Director of Broadcasting Jonathan Turner for availability and pricing at jonathan@michigansoccernetwork.com.)
