By: Alex McGinley
Malvern, PA – After allowing two early first quarter goals to Episcopal Academy, Malvern Prep scored 10 consecutive goals in route to a 16-5 win Friday afternoon at the Pellegrini Complex.
Senior midfielder Reilly Dugan and junior midfielder Sam Malloy scored for the Churchmen within the first five minutes of the game. From there, the Friars dominated, scoring 16 goals, and only allowing three for the rest of the game.
“We had six fouls in the first quarter, so we pretty much manned down,” said Malvern Prep coach John McEvoy. “It starts slow and I think they jumped out. They did a good job.”
After allowing the two early goals, the Friars, who are ranked first in the PA East IAC/Private Rankings, took a 9-2 lead into halftime. The Churchmen did not score again until the nine-minute mark to make the deficit 10-3.
Coach McEvoy also attributed winning possessions to his team’s win Friday. Junior Dylan Cabahug-Almonte won eight out of his ten faceoffs for the Friars.
“We kinda settled in,” said Coach McEvoy. “We didn’t get rattled. Two goals aren’t that big of a deal to start the game. Get a couple of possessions. Couple of good, solid possessions and good looks at the cage and 2-0 is not a big deal and get one and it’s a ball game.”
Malvern senior defender Mike Buono talks about his team's victory.
Malvern Prep vs. Episcopal Academy (video - Alex McGinley)
The Friars added seven second half goals to make the score 16-5. Senior attack Eric Spanos, who is a Maryland commit, provided half of the goals for the Friars’ offense. Besides Spanos, eight other Friars added to the onslaught. Senior attack Will Peden, who is a Penn State commit, also assisted on four of the Friars’ goals.
“I think they just had to get some possessions and gain some confidence,” said senior defender Michael Buono, who earned six ground balls in the victory. “Once we got some confidence going, we started putting things back into the net and I think we did better once we got possessions.”
For the Churchmen, senior attack Max Strid led the team with a pair of goals. Sophomore attack TJ Lamb led the Churchmen with three assists. Dugan and Malloy each added an assist to go along with their goals. Junior goalie Nash Womack made 11 saves for the Churchmen.
“It’s a rivalry,” said McEvoy. “They have some good players. They’re a really well-coached team. It’s a league game, so it’s meaningful. The kids are motivated.”
Next up, the Friars will go to the Haverford School on Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. The Churchmen will host Germantown Academy on Tuesday at 4:00 p.m.