Danielle LaRocca sparks Eastern lacrosse victory

Her coaches call her the orchestrator on the field.

Her teammates call her "Fish," because when she's not playing lacrosse, Danielle LaRocca has a knack for swimming.

Both nicknames seemed appropriate with 1 minute, 20 seconds left in the first half Saturday.

LaRocca, a senior midfielder, picked up a 50-50 ball and glided down the field as if she were underwater. On a shoestring pass, she found her sister, freshman Gabby LaRocca, who was wide open and waiting to deposit the first goal of her high school career.

"It's amazing that it worked out that way," Gabby LaRocca said after her Eastern team's 17-9 home win over Cherokee. "It's a great moment to share with my sister."

Danielle LaRocca concurred, but the orchestrator insisted the goal was as organic as the team's other 16 that afternoon.

"She was open," Danielle LaRocca said. "I would've hit any player who was down there like that."

The sequence speaks to the role Danielle LaRocca has taken on for the Vikings.

Eastern is arguably the most athletic team in South Jersey, but many of those athletes aren't lacrosse specialists.

The obvious example, of course, is Austyn Cuneo, a world-class field hockey player and one of the top high school athletes in the country. By itself, her natural ability makes her one of South Jersey's top lacrosse players.

But Danielle LaRocca, a Quinnipiac recruit, is, more than anything, a lacrosse player. And along with a handful of the team's other lacrosse specialists, she is tasked with helping turn ability into success on the field.

"Danielle is the vocal leader of our team," Vikings coach Lauren Regan said. "She works up and down the field, and she makes things happen for us, even when she's not scoring goals."

Saturday, Danielle LaRocca netted three goals and Samantha Mlkvy led the team with four.

It speaks to the expectations of Eastern (4-0), ranked No. 3 in South Jersey by The Inquirer, that after a convincing win against Cherokee (1-4), a talented, up-and-coming team, Vikings players and coaches weren't happy with their overall performance.

That was evident in the rather intense period of team conditioning that took place after the win.

The Vikings want to polish their game. They want to play with more intensity.

"We want to meet our high expectations. And I'm trying to lead by example," Danielle LaRocca said.

She paused for a moment.

"Now if you'll excuse me," she said, "I need to go run with my team."

Cherokee 1 8 – 9

Eastern 11 6 – 17

Goals: C-Lauren Thomas 4, Ashley Koster 2, Jenna Castiglia, Christine DiLullo, Jess Havers; E-Gabby LaRocca 2, Danielle LaRocca 3, Samantha Mlkvy 4, Olivia Schneider 3, Alex Rubino 2, Austyn Cuneo, Mariel Haubrich, Sierra Slack.

Saves: C-Devon Kearns 6; E-Brittany Read 8.