By Aidan Torok
Special to Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 4/23/23
Reporter’s Penn State email: ajt6051@psu.edu
UNIVERSITY PARK – Two of the top young stars in the state and beyond staged an offensive shootout Saturday when Malvern Prep and Academy of the New Church met on the big stage at Panzer Stadium.
Yes, Malvern’s Michael Ortlieb and ANC’s Hunter Aquino were that good.
While Aquino – a 2024 Penn State commit – led his Lions with five goals – the younger Ortlieb, a 2025, had the final say with five tallies, carrying Malvern Prep to the 11-7 victory. (see full game coverage here)
The head coaches for Malvern Prep (Matt Mackrides) and Academy of a New Church (Jack Forster) were standout linemates at Penn State. Hence, the matchup being hosted at Panzer after Penn State’s Senior Night victory against Rutgers.
The matchup of teams ranked among the best in Philly and also much of the year nationally did not disappoint.
Neither did Aquino, who scored five of the seven goals for Academy of a New Church (10-2).
“Today’s game had a lot of juice. I was excited about playing my future teammates as well,” Aquino said. “Malvern had five Penn Staters (commits) and all five are excellent players. It was awesome to play them at PSU.”
Aquino’s presence was large, and he remained in consistent attack mode. The future Nittany Lions demanded the attention from Malvern Prep’s defense, and at times Aquino was doubled anytime he would attack the middle.
From the start it seemed this game meant something extra special for Aquino, considering he was playing in his future home. Aquino wasted no time getting on the scoreboard scoring the first two goals of the game, giving ANC the early 2-0 edge.
However, as the game went on and as the rain started to fall in Happy Valley it began to favor Malvern Prep. Turnovers started to pile up for Academy of a New Church, and Malvern Prep’s transition game changed the momentum.
“Our plan though was to attack their poles, move it through X in the backside, then attract a shorty,” Aquino said. “It was working in the first half but then we got sloppy and started to turn the ball over more and more as the game went on.”
After being tied 5-5 at halftime, the second half belonged to Malvern Prep and Ortlieb, who played like an upperclassmen on Saturday.
However, the sophomore shifted the spotlight.
“I give all the credit to my teammates and coaches,” Ortlieb said. “They put me in spots where I can do well and I have the easy job of just playing off great players and and great coaching,” Ortlieb said.
Malvern Prep (8-5) has rebounded after a tough stretch of five straight losses, though all against top competition. With this win over the No. 2 team in the Phillylacrosse.com Rankings and the Top 25 Inside Lacrosse Power Rankings, the Friars have won five in a row. Ortlieb knows the importance of this victory.
“We are coming off a tough stretch where we dropped some games in a row,” he said. “The past two weeks have been great. The guys have been focused and the coaches have been doing a good job.
“Fortunately, we have won the past couple of games leading into the one today, and this win today was another step in the right direction.”
Saturday’s matchup between two premier programs met the buildup. The talent was evident on both sidelines, and Ortlieb and Aquino gave fans a glimpse of what’s to come in the upcoming years. After the battle, both players demonstrated a tremendous respect for one another.
“He’s a stud,” Ortlieb said of Aquino. “The way he can play from both behind and above the cage is pretty cool to watch.”