By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 3/24/08
After two impressive wins last week in Virginia, the Malvern Prep boys’ lacrosse team faces an early test Tuesday (3:45 p.m.) when it hosts defending state champion Downingtown East.
The Friars, ranked second in the first Phillylacrosse.com Scholastic Boys Top 10 Poll, opened with triumphs over St. Anne’s-Belfield (13-5) and Collegiate School (17-7). The third-ranked Cougars (2-0), opened with a 5-3 win over defending Colorado state champion Fort Collins and a 9-8 conquest of Deerfield Academy (Mass.).
Malvern, the 2006 state champion, was 17-5 last year and fell to La Salle, 12-7, in the Eastern Pennsylvania Scholastic Lacrosse Association semifinals. Coach John McEvoy, in his sixth year at the helm, returns several major Division I recruits in middie Chris Layne (committed to North Carolina, 35 goals, 35 assists last year), All-American attacker Matt Mackrides (Penn State, member of Team USA U-19 squad) and attacker Colin McGeehan (Holy Cross).
The key for Malvern may be the defense, which returns only junior Bill Connors, who has verbally committed to Duke. Senior Chris Creighton also has some experience, but the rest are newcomers to varsity play.
McEvoy also lists sophomore middie Ryan Creighton, senior middie Matt Conte and junior attacker Conor Steidle – who has been saddled with injuries the past two years – as other mainstays.
“We’ll need to win face-offs and defend well to compete,” McEvoy said. “A lot of attention will be spent at the defensive side; we have many athletic kids, but not a lot of game experience. Certainly, we should be better toward the end of season.”
Ridley opens with two wins
Ridley, looking to be a contender in the Central League, opened with two victories. The Raiders ripped Perkiomen Valley, 13-1, as Rob Lamey tallied four goals and four assists while Kyle Blakemore, Tyler Johnson and Brett Greer each recorded two goals. Ridley then handled Emmaus, 8-4 as Johnston pumped in three goals and Greer added two.
Latta trades skates for stick
Henderson’s Billy Latta, an ice hockey standout who led the Warriors to the Class A state crown last year but saw his team bounced out of the Flyers Cup semifinals by rival West Chester East, got started early in the lacrosse season by scoring three goals to spark a 10-7 triumph Thursday over Strath Haven. David Alyanakian had four goals for the Panthers.
Around the area…
Paul Reutemann scored four goals to help North Penn edge Owen J Roberts, 10-9…Friends’ Central claimed a pair of wins, 12-6 over Upper Merion and 6-2 over Father Judge. Goalie Jake Schutzman posted 24 saves in the two wins while Emmett Culhane led the attack with six goals…Chestnut Hill Academy routed Woodlynde, 13-2, as Peter Audabato collected three goals and four assists…Lower Merion thumped Spring-Ford, 14-5, as Jordan Wolf had four goals and three assists…Radnor started strong, crushing Souderton, 16-2, as Harrison Lawrence, Matt Cherry and Will Pancoast each tallied hat tricks…Chestnut Hill Academy got hat tricks from Vaughn Smith and Mike Marino and dropped Nazareth, 9-6… Shipley fell to Boulder (Colo.), 10-9, despite four goals each from John Hird and Julius Mouser.
