With a promising season ahead, the Friars will rely heavily on their depth and senior experience in hopes of winning an Inter-Ac Title.

The lacrosse program at Malvern has become a perennial powerhouse over the years. This season, another talented Malvern team is confident they have what it takes to take down Haverford and win the Inter-Ac.

When asked what was different about this year, Head Coach John McEvoy credited the talent of his team.

“We have 14 seniors returning, most of them have some really good experience. We return on the offensive end of the field and we have a handful of guys who should be some of the better players in the area if not anywhere. I feel confident saying that,” McEvoy said.

Senior Quinn McCahon thinks this year’s team can be something special.

“We’ve had seniors playing for four years now so we have great senior leadership and a lot of experience playing under Coach McEvoy,” he said.

While the senior class is a big part of this team, the overall chemistry on the team is another reason why McCahon and the Friars have an optimistic outlook for this year.

“This team is very closely-knit,” McCahon said. “You walk around and you see kids talking to each other from different grades. From juniors to sophomores and freshman, everyone is friends which is a huge part of the team.”

On expectations for this year’s team, Coach McEvoy believes there is a lot of potential but nothing is guaranteed.

“I think we can have a great year, but a lot of things need to fall in place for that to happen,” McEvoy said. “We need some good chemistry, leadership, along with a bought in attitude and understanding of roles.”

The biggest challenge of the year for the Friars will be beating another strong Haverford team. Senior Sam Sweeney discussed the keys to beating Haverford.

“Defense and faceoffs are going to win that game,” Sweeney said. “If we can shut down a couple of their key offensive players, I think we have a really good shot.”

Coach McEvoy had similar things to say about beating the Fords.

“We need to be really good in all thirds of the field and win the battle between the lines [the middle third of the field] for the entire game, not just the first half or three quarters.”

The Fords have stood in Malvern’s way in recent years and the desire to beat Haverford has only intensified. McCahon talked about his attitude towards playing Haverford and is confident the Friars will make this year’s matchup one to remember.

“The feeling of beating them last year was unlike any I’ve had in another game before,” McCahon said. “I think we need to remember that feeling we had and have that desire to win the Inter-Ac. I’ve gone three years now without winning the Inter-Ac and I’m not going to go out my last year without winning it.”