MALVERN, PA – Face-offs and overall smart play did it for the Haverford School lacrosse team at the home of Malvern Prep in an Inter-Ac League lacrosse game Friday, April 20, 2018. Midfielder Chris Tsetsekos was especially solid on face-offs and the Fords ultimately secured a 12-9 victory over the Friars.
“Chris got us the ball so much,” said teammate TJ Malone who scored five goals with one assist. “Having it in the second half helped.”
With this outcome Haverford improved to 10-3 on the season.
“We played smart,” said Haverford head coach John Nostrant. “We had a lot of face offs.”
Malvern dropped to 5-4. Turnovers proved to hurt the Friars on the afternoon.
“We were not sustaining possession on our end of the field,” said Malvern head coach John McEvoy. “We were giving them the ball.”
HAV vs. MP - Photos by Dan McCarty
Malone and teammate Adam Salvaggio gave Haverford a quick 2-0 advantage but Malvern got both goals right back when Scott White took a 2-0 sprint of his own. Scott Deck scored later in the period as did Malone and so the Fords held a 4-2 surplus after the first quarter.
The second quarter was flying by and defense prevailed but Jack Traynor found the net within the final 30 seconds and allowed for a tight 4-3 halftime score.
Malvern Prep senior Jack Traynor scores for the Friars just before halftime:
The second half turned out to be a different one altogether. Haverford outscored Malvern 5-2 during the third quarter. Deck, Payton Hollway and Luke O’Grady helped the Friars extend their lead.
Malvern went in to the fourth quarter destined to stay in it. Quinn McCahon and White both registered two goals in the stanza. Tsetsekos also got on the board with just 40.8 in regulation.
“Teammates have a lot of energy,” said Malone. “We compete at practice. It’s just awesome.”
Haverford goalkeeper Harrison Fellheimer led the way on defense with eight saves.
“Defense was good,” said Nostrant. “We had our match-ups. Harrison was good. It’s a great rivalry.”
Goalkeeper Will Pettit finished with 11 saves for Malvern Prep.
Looking ahead, the Haverford School will play away against Springside Chesnut Hill tomorrow at 4:00 PM and will host the Hill School Wednesday, April 25, 2018 at 4:00 PM. With the regular season coming to an end in just a few short weeks, the Fords have the postseason on their minds. They are vying for a playoff spot.
“It all comes down to the playoffs,” said Malone. “We have to be ready. I feel great. We’re working hard at practice. It shows."
In more league action, Malvern travels to the home of Germantown Academy this Thursday at 4:00.