March in the Main Line region can be chilly. Parkas, beanies and sweaters are still in use, but no matter the temperature, lacrosse season will soon begin. Here’s a look into what you can expect from two top local teams.
Malvern Prep
Starting on March 18, the men’s team at Malvern Prep will begin its 2025 campaign. The Friars had a successful 2024 season, finishing the year with a 21-3 record and winning the National Prep Championship. In the title game, the Friars faced off against local rivals, Haverford School. The Fords swept the regular season series, but the Friars ultimately took home the national matchup, winning 9-6.
Several of the difference makers in the championship game return for the 2025 season. Attacker Michael Ortlieb, midfielders Owen Mears and Jake Bickel, and goalie Heath Jones are all back for their senior seasons. Ortlieb will be the Friars’ main threat on attack. In the title game against Haverford School, he scored five goals.
The Friars are led by head coach Matt Mackrides, a 2008 graduate of Malvern Prep who took over the program in 2022. He also played professionally for the Chesapeake Bayhawks.
Last year, 13 players went on to suit up for college teams. College opportunities are nothing new for this program. Since 2002, at least three players from each roster have gone on to a collegiate program. This year’s roster is no different. Ortlieb and Mears will head to Duke University together in the fall, senior John Bickel is committed to Georgetown University and Jones is committed to the lacrosse team at Rutgers University.
The Inter Academic League (INTERAC) provides plenty of competition for the Friars, who will also face out-of-state competition this year. As of January 31, the Friars have seven games on the calendar but more are expected to be added. Their first three games are all on the road, with an opening day matchup in Maryland against Loyola Blakefield followed by a game in New Jersey against Lawrenceville School’s lacrosse team. The rematch with Haverford takes place on April 11 on the Fords’ home turf. It marks the first game against the two schools since the Friars captured the national title. Twenty-four hours later, the Friars will be back on the field for a matchup with Connecticut’s Brunswick School for their first home game. The staff and players are looking to make another run at nationals, and the strength of the schedule suggests that the team is hunting a challenge.
Once released, The Friars’ finalized schedule with dates and times can be found here.
Agnes Irwin
On the women’s side, Agnes Irwin has big ambitions for 2025. Last year, the Owls went 16-5 with a .762 win percentage and a rating of 97.12. Head coach Lauren Wray leads a team with players who are already committed to Division I programs. Heading to the University of North Carolina and Boston College in the fall are All-American senior midfielders Caroline Chisholm and Mairyn Dwyer. Furthermore, junior attacker Ella Garner and senior defender Emma Tayloe have committed to programs at the University of Pennsylvania and the Naval Academy, respectively.
Tayloe was an Academic-All American in 2024. Garner is expected to play a bigger role in 2025 and has a chance to be a starter.
The 2025 girls lacrosse schedule is yet to be released, but last season’s calendar suggests the Owls will regularly face high level competition from across the state. Last season, the team matched up against the likes of William Penn Charter School, Episcopal Academy and Our Lady of Good Counsel High School. The biggest margin of victory came on April 10 when the Owls trounced the Hill School 19-1.
All five games the Owls lost in 2024 were tightly contested, with the team falling short by just three points. The most dramatic game of the season came on April 18, which sent Agnes Irwin into triple overtime to oust Episcopal Academy 11-10.
Last year’s squad also enjoyed a 10-game winning streak, going undefeated for a month and three days before dropping the season finale against Episcopal on May 23.
The 2025 schedule is expected to be released later this month. Here’s how to view the calendar and progress when it’s made public.
Related: The Secret to the Malvern Prep Wrestling Team’s Continued Dominance
