Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 5/18/24
Ennis Udo, Michael Ortlieb, and Jake Bickel each collected two goals and an assist and Heath Jones posted 9 saves as third-seeded Malvern Prep defeated second-seeded Culver Academy (IN), 11-6, today to advance to the finals of the Victory Events National Prep Championship at Loyola University, setting up a third meeting this year with Inter-Ac League rival Haverford School.
The first-seeded Fords advanced by downing fourth-seeded Western Reserve Academy (14-3), 8-5.
Malvern Prep (20-3) has been ranked No. 2 behind Haverford School (20-1) and dropped both games to the Fords this season as Haverford repeated as the undefeated Inter-Ac champion. Sunday’s title game is set for noon at Loyola (Awalt Field) with a livestream available on Lacrosse TV at https://streamstak.com/lacrossetv/ .
Also Sunday in the Mid-Atlantic Division final, Academy of the New Church and Perkiomen School will meet for the title at noon at Lugano Field. That game also will be livestreamed here.
Also for Malvern today, Hagen McTear and Owen Mears each had a goal and an assist while John Majka (2 groundballs), Logan Turley and defenseman Brad Piffath each scored once. Nick Wehmeyer won 11 of 19 faceoffs and Lucca DiBartolomeo scooped three groundballs while brother Roman DiBartolomeo had two groundballs.
The Friars led, 5-1, after one quarter, but Culver (13-3) pulled within 8-6 late in the third period before Ortlieb scored two in a row in the fourth quarter to ice the game.
Both the Fords and Friars have been ranked high all year in the national polls. This week, Haverford was No. 4 in the Inside Lacrosse Rankings with Malvern Prep No. 5 and Culver No. 9.
