McNamara's late goals lift Haverford School to lacrosse win
Tommy McNamara could be excused for his incredulity. The Haverford School senior hasn't played much lacrosse at rival Malvern Prep, let alone scored a game-winning goal.
Tommy McNamara could be excused for his incredulity.
The Haverford School senior hasn't played much lacrosse at rival Malvern Prep, let alone scored a game-winning goal.
On Tuesday, however, the Notre Dame recruit was momentarily stunned after netting back-to-back goals in the final minute of the Fords' improbable come-from-behind 10-9 victory.
"Wow, did that really just happen?" McNamara recalled thinking after his goal with 3.9 seconds remaining gave the Fords (6-3, 1-0) the lead for good.
The Friars and Fords, ranked Nos. 3 and 16, respectively in the latest Nike/Lacrosse Magazine national top 25, will meet again at Haverford School on April 29.
Malvern (6-2, 1-0) had led, 9-5, entering the fourth quarter and even held a 9-7 edge with 1 minute, 55 seconds remaining.
After a timeout, Brendan O'Neill started the Fords' frenzy with an unassisted blast with 1:37 left.
McNamara's first goal came with 57.5 seconds left after he stole the ball from a defender about 10 yards from the goal, ran in tight, and fired past goaltender Andrew Clark.
After the Fords regained possession following the ensuing faceoff, McNamara took a feed in the middle from Austin Helms, dodged a defender, and fired for glory.
"It was a little bit of a surprise just because of how the game had gone to that point," said McNamara, who missed all of last season and most of his sophomore season with injuries.
"It feels awesome," he added. "I think the biggest thing is that I look to the left and the right and I know everybody busted it. Everyone worked as hard as they could. My scoring that goal was a result of so many more things."
After leading, 3-1, late in the first quarter, the Fords fell behind after Kyle Anderson sparked six unanswered Malvern goals, which resulted in a 7-3 Friars advantage at the half.
Dox Aitken sparked the Fords offense with two third-quarter goals.
In the net, Haverford School's Alex Demarco was stellar, stopping 10 shots. He made a sprawling stick save that didn't count because of a late whistle but was impressive nonetheless.
For the Friars, Anderson finished with five goals while Clark, who was also spectacular in net, stopped 14 shots.
McNamara, the Fords' secret weapon, missed all of last season with a shoulder injury after ankle injuries ruined much of his sophomore campaign.
"Coach Petrone said this is the first time they've seen me in three years," McNamara joked, referring to assistant Mark Petrone.
"It's just great to be back, playing here," he added. "This is the first time I've really played here since freshman year. We said this is the last time we'll play at Malvern. They had a huge crowd. It was just awesome to get the win."
Haverford School 3 0 2 5 - 10
Malvern Prep 3 4 2 0 - 9
HS: Keyveat Postell 2, Brendan O'Neill 2, John Nostrant, Dox Aitken 2, Forry Smith, Tommy McNamara 2
MP: Kyle Anderson 5, Billy Coyle, Adam Goldner, Mike Fay, Mac Updike.
Saves: HS - Alex Demarco 10; MP - Andrew Clark 14.
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