By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 4/27/19
There was plenty of buildup as defending Inter-Ac League champion Malvern Prep geared for its meeting this morning with defending PIAA Class AAA champ Manheim Township at the 19th Annual Katie Samson Festival.
But from the start, the marquee battle on Radnor High’s football Stadium (Prevost Field) was a rout between the No. 2 and No. 4 teams in the Phillylacrosse Rankings.
Malvern Prep (No. 2) scored 15 seconds into play and built a 12-1 halftime lead before coasting to a 16-2 victory. The Friars have won five straight and improved to 10-5. Manheim – already with wins over District 1 powers Conestoga and Avon Grove and the Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 1 title in hand – fell to 13-2.
The Friars dominated every aspect of the game; groundballs, faceoffs (Rowan Almonte was 14 of 21), goaltending (starter Will Pettit had 8, 13 overall) and ball movement. Manheim also was plagued by turnovers, forced and unforced.
“We’ve kind of been building up recently and getting hot which is awesome to see,” said Pettit, a North Carolina signee. “We started the season slow. We were young and we lost a lot of guys on offense so it was tough bulding up. Now we are hitting a hot streak and getting to be a lot of fun to watch.
“We knew they were the defending state champions, and that we had somegthing to prove to them. It was kind of like the best of the best.”
Sophomore Eric Spanos led a balanced attack with four goals while junior Colin McGill had three and sophomore Nick Potemski had two goals and an assist. Junior Colin Hueston and senior Evan Lotz each scored twice and soph Will Peden had a goal and two assists.
Sean Curcio and Tyler Kurtz scored for the Blue Streaks, who have won 105 straight league games and again have established themselves as a PIAA favorite out of Distict 3.
“They have a great team and we had a couple guys banged up,” said Township coach Dan Lyons. “They gave us a great game and one for us to learn a lot. That always helps.
“They get a lot more off ball motion than some of the other teams we play. That will help us improve our defense off the ball.”
Malvern Prep’s last three losses were by one goal, to New Jersey powers Seton Hall Prep and Delbarton, as well as Inter-Ac rival Haverford School. The Friars appear to be peaking with the post-season only weeks away.
“We are hitting our stride,” said Pettit, “and I am excited to see excited to watch us go forward.”
Malvern Prep 16, Manheim Township 2
MP 6-6-1-3- 16
MT 1-0-1-0- 2
MP
Colin McGill 3g
Nick Potemski 2g, 1a
Will Peden 1g, 2a
Eric Spanos 4g
Sean Rushton 1a
Colin Hueston 2g
Evan Lotz 2g
Matthew Civitella 1a
Liam Timmons 1a
Tucker Milhous 2g
Keenan O’Connor 1a
Will Pettit 8 saves
Colin Corrigan 4 saves
Colin McDonnell 1 save
Rowan Almonte 14 of 21 FO
MT
Sean Curcio 1g
Tyler Kurtz 1g
Eddie Newman 1a
Owen Hirsch 7 saves
Tyler Moritzen 2 saves
