Bickel Boosts Malvern Prep in Thrilling Overtime Win at Haverford

Facing the most daunting high school schedule in recent memory, Malvern Prep proved ready for the challenge Tuesday afternoon on the road at longtime Inter-Ac rival Haverford — a team that had outplayed the Friars for most of the game. Trailing 8-6 with under four minutes to play, Malvern didn't blink. Instead, the Friars surged, scoring three goals in as many minutes to take a 9-8 lead.   But Haverford wasn't done, and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='23606' first='Conor' last='Morsell'] tied it with four seconds left to force overtime. That's when Georgetown-bound senior [player_tooltip player_id='14517' first='Jake' last='Bickel'] sealed the deal, completing the comeback with 1:29 left in the extra frame to give Malvern a thrilling 10-9 win.   Now, a closer look at Bickel's heroics — and standout performances from five more players on Tuesday:    Continuing an outstanding senior season, Bickel was far and away the best player on the field, finishing with four goals and two assists. More notable than the stat line itself is that three of those points came in the final four minutes of regulation and the overtime period, when Bickel got matched up with a shortstick, made a hard jab step to free up his hands, and canned the game-winning goal. His go-ahead assist was arguably the most impressive pass I've seen all year. Drawing Haverford's defense to the right side of the field while under duress, Bickel skipped it all the way to the left hash, where [player_tooltip player_id='24577' first='Danny' last='Riely'] caught it and fired it home, the second time they'd linked up in a two-minute span. In the first half, Bickel cleanly beat his man, finishing in front in the first quarter after beating a pole and then burying his patented jumper in the second stanza. He's exactly the type of midfield party-starter that the Hoyas' offense desperately needs.     Burnetta's impact was far greater than his total of 1G/1A might indicate, as the promising sophomore constantly created opportunities and made high IQ plays. Utilizing his brilliant change of direction in the second quarter, Burnetta made a highlight-reel play when he pulled off a nasty hockey stop (that nearly caused a Malvern shortstick to fall over the net) and finished in front of the cage. He fed [player_tooltip player_id='16273' first='Reed' last='Campbell'] a few minutes later in heady fashion, recognizing that Jones was out of the crease then sending a pass from near the sideline over to the Trinity commit. Burnetta had a brilliant tic-tac-toe hockey assist in the third quarter on a goal that he created himself before sending the ball over to [player_tooltip player_id='24324' first='Finn' last='French'] then to Morsell for the finish. A savvy playmaker with excellent stick skills, Burnetta is just as capable without the ball as he is as a ball-carrier, and his skill set is sure to attract a bevy of recruiters this summer.     Despite what his commitment to Rutgers might tell you, Jones was an under-recruited goalie prospect, and now, he's undoubtedly among the best keepers in the class. Serving as a reliable backstop and senior leader for a new-look Malvern defense this spring, Jones has turned in a number of stellar performances in his 1.5 years as a starter and made 11 stops in Tuesday's nail-biter of a win over the Fords. He set the tone early with a strong first quarter, bounced back from a tough second quarter, and helped keep Haverford's offense at bay in the second half. With the defense in front of him giving Jones shots he wanted to see, the senior caught shots cleanly and led the clear with poise. Even watching from afar on the live stream, his leadership capabilities were on full display, as he kept a short memory, never got rattled, and ultimately helped Malvern get the win. A tall keeper with excellent reflexes, he seldom bites on fakes and is super disciplined in and out of the net.     Returning to the field for the first time last Friday after suffering a preseason injury, Meyer's insertion back into the lineup has been pivotal for the Fords, allowing them to play significantly less defense and ensuring extra possessions. On Tuesday, Meyer went 14-for-20 against Malvern's tandem, putting forth another gritty performance, especially in the first half. With his combination of hand speed, athleticism, toughness, and technical skills, Meyer was a tough matchup for Malvern's talented sophomore and kept coming up with the ball in scrum situations and clean wins alike. He did make a violation or two late in the game, forcing Haverford to go to its second-string, but the Fords wouldn't have been in a close game if not for Meyer's workmanlike showing at the X.     <a href="https://preplacrosse.com/2025/04/marchs-top-performing-attackmen-quarterbacks/">Morsell was highlighted in-depth as recently as last week in my post on the top QBs I've evaluated so far this season</a>, but he's beyond deserving of being spotlighted again after putting up three goals and two assists on Tuesday. Getting up the hash and finishing a feed from [player_tooltip player_id='24324' first='Finn' last='French'], the rangy sophomore found the net less than a minute into the game and then sent the Fords to overtime with less than four seconds left. Taking a pretty feed from [player_tooltip player_id='14564' first='Reece' last='Childs'], Morsell displayed an insane handle and beautiful finish in traffic to tie the game up at 9-9. He had another beautiful goal in the third quarter, making a precise cut and textbook finish.     Having seen Malvern play a half dozen times this year, Tuesday's contest felt like Riely's best performance of the year. His role has changed a bit since last year and in recent weeks, as he's started to take more defensive reps in addition to playing offense. Riely held up well in coverage on Tuesday (though he did get beat for a goal), but it was his opportunistic and timely goals that made him deserving of a shoutout. He scored the tying goal on an assist from Bickel on what looked like a set piece, then followed that up with a huge stepdown after a preposterous feed from Bickel that was described in full above. Another hard-nosed athlete in the mold of so many Malvern middies that came before him, Riely is someone who I'm looking forward to continuing to follow as his career progresses — I wouldn't be surprised to see him on either side of the ball once he matriculates to Cornell.

Facing the most daunting high school schedule in recent memory, Malvern Prep proved ready for the challenge Tuesday afternoon on the road at longtime Inter-Ac rival Haverford — a team that had outplayed the Friars for most of the game. Trailing 8-6 with under four minutes to play, Malvern didn't blink. Instead, the Friars surged, scoring three goals in as many minutes to take a 9-8 lead.