Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 4/8/25 – Staff Report
In a chilly but thrilling Inter-Ac League opener, Episcopal Academy pulled off a stunning 6-5 upset over rival Malvern Prep, marking its first win over the Friars in three years. Tied 4-4 heading into the final period, the Churchmen delivered two clutch goals in the fourth to seize a 6-4 victory before holding on for the dramatic victory.
Reid Dennis led the charge for EA (4-3 overall, No. 3 in PA Lax Rankings among private schools) with a hat trick, while Keegan Nash added one goal and two assists. Parker Smith contributed a goal and an assist, and Jackson Orcutt also scored.
Trevor Cantlin anchored the defense with five key saves, and David Brickman was a force on the backend, tallying four ground balls and four caused turnovers.
“It was a great team victory – it was the whole team! The defense played great and Trevor played great,” said Dennis, a 2027 attackman. “It feels great after a tough loss on Saturday (OT defeat to IMG Academy), It feels great to contribute to this team and help us get a big win.”
Malvern Prep (6-5, No. 2 in the rankings) suffered its fourth straight loss, struggling to break through EA’s disciplined defense much of the game.
Malvern Prep opened the scoring on a sizzling tally by goalie Heath Jones (12 saves) and Mike Ortlieb made it 2-0. But the only other Malvern offense until the final minute came when Owen Mears and Logan Turley tied it before halftime. Dennis put in the go-ahead goal early in the final period and then the insurance tally with 2:43 to play before Jake Bickel got a late tally to make it 6-5.
“It was a good team effort, we got down in the hole, 2-0, but our kids found a way to persevere,” said EA coach Steve Colfer. “Our kids played hard in the middle of the field and got enough groundballs.
“We had a tough overtime loss to IMG Saturday and I was very proud of their mental and physical effort. They (the Friars) are really good and well coached and you have to give an unbelievable effort to compete with these guys – and our kids did that.
“But it’s the first game of the year and we have so many tough challenges ahead of us. We’ll enjoy this for a little bit and get back to work to prepare for Penn Charter on Friday.”
