HAVERFORD, PA- No matter the weather, no matter the setting, no matter the crowd, when two good teams compete with one another, pride often becomes a determining factor as to the ultimate victor.
On a cold, damp Friday afternoon at Haverford School, visiting Malvern Prep needed a victory to keep its hopes alive for at minimum a share of the Inter-Academic League lacrosse title. The Friars also needed a win to dispel the taste of a bitter defeat earlier in the season, when a 9-5, fourth-quarter lead against those same Fords dissolved in surreal fashion, resulting in a 10-9 loss that won’t be forgotten anytime soon.
That awful taste still remains.
The Fords ran roughshod on the Friars, snaring a 6-0 lead after one quarter. Although Malvern fought hard and enjoyed its share of highlights, Haverford School emerged with a 16-12 triumph that all but clinched another Inter-Ac championship.
Later, the Fords (14-4 overall, 6-0 Inter-Ac) admitted that their last meeting with Malvern (11-5, 4-2), although victorious, required learning a lesson; namely, come out strong and avoid the shackles of a desperate situation.
“We started the game very strong after stressing that all week in practice,” said senior Dox Aitken. “We wanted to play like we did in the fourth quarter against Malvern the first time we played them. Once we had a lead we knew they have the ability to come back, so we needed to continue to play smart.”
Although Malvern halved its deficit to 6-3, the Fords increased their advantage to 11-4 by halftime. After both teams scored one goal in the third quarter, Malvern outscored the Fords by 7-4 in a wide-open final stanza.
Not exactly the closing-out method that they preferred, but the Fords had amassed a large enough lead not to worry.
“We played well but we could have finished the game stronger,” said junior Johnny Nostrant, “That’s just something to work on for the future.”
Senior goalie Alex deMarco agreed.
“The way we started showed how strong of a team we are and how we have improved overall,” said deMarco, who made nine saves. “Transition has been huge for us lately and has helped us jump on teams early. We lost some focus at the end and they got a couple quick ones.”
Haverford School's John Nostrant scores
Haverford School's Keyveat Postell scores
Four of the six players who scored for the Fords contributed multiple goals. Aitken tallied four, Nostrant three, and senior Forry Smith two. All were upstaged by senior Keyveat Postell, who netted five.
Postell labeled Haverford’s victory as “crucial” and compared the event to a “championship game” because Malvern, he said, is Haverford’s “strongest competitor.”
“We were excited to play this game since we last played Malvern, so as soon as the game started we were ready to go,” said Postell. “We got momentum early, which is all you're really looking for against a good team like Malvern.”
Malvern, meanwhile, boarded its bus in understandable disappointment. The Friars had been anticipating retribution, but their opponent erased that possibility with the initial six-goal bombardment.
“It definitely wasn't hard to get motivated after that first loss because we felt like we let the game get away from us and we wanted to get some revenge for that,” said Malvern senior Jarrett Donaghy. “But when it came to this game, we just didn't get it done and they definitely outworked us.
“They played really well. We had a really good game plan, and they made us pay for all of our mistakes. At this point, we can only hope to see them again in the Inter-Ac challenge and make the most of that opportunity.”
Donaghy scored on a pretty semi-breakaway late in the first half that energized the many Friar fans who comprised the south stands, but the Fords immediately answered with two goals of their own.
Jarrett Donaghy scores for Malvern and fans react
The two rivals may face each other again in the post-season Inter-Ac challenge, a 12-team tournament that runs from May 16 through 22 and is hosted by Villanova. Donaghy hopes to have yet another chance to defeat Haverford.
“If we beat them in the Challenge, I'm not sure if it would make these two losses much easier to take, but it definitely would mean a lot to us, especially the seniors,” said Donaghy. “It would mean that we would get to continue the season and keep putting that Malvern jersey on, and nothing would mean more to us than that.”
(John Knebels can be reached at jknebels@gmail.com.)