The last of the Inter-Ac League schools to begin playing boys' lacrosse, Springside Chestnut Hill Academy recently became competitive with the league’s long-established powers.

Two weeks ago, the Blue Devils stayed right with Malvern Prep during the first half before the Friars pulled away in the second half to win 13-8. Earlier in April, SCH hosted two-time defending league champion Haverford School and succumbed by just a single goal, 8-7.

Last Tuesday the Blue Devils crossed the Schuylkill for a rematch with Haverford, and it was clear they were being taken seriously by the Fords. A three-goal burst by the hosts over the first six-and-a-half minutes was a key to the game, as visiting SCH was never able to overcome that early deficit. Haverford led 7-2 at the half and was ahead 9-3 in the fourth quarter before the visitors deposited the afternoon’s last two goals for a 9-5 final.

SCH returned from the Main Line with an overall record of 11-6. In league competition, the Blue Devils swept Germantown Academy home and away, defeated Penn Charter once, lost to Malvern and Episcopal Academy, and were swept by Haverford for a 3-4 mark.

Haverford's overall record of 11-3 includes two setbacks against out-of-state teams and an overtime loss in the Inter-Ac to Malvern Prep, 10-9. Malvern, also 6-1 in the league, lost to third-place Episcopal, which split its series with Malvern and lost once to Haverford (EA and the Fords will meet again on May 9).

The afternoon was warm and sunny for last Tuesday's match at Haverford, where the home team made an early statement with a goal by senior Evan Large just 42 seconds into the action. After junior Jack Rischitelli put the Fords up 2-0, SCH sophomore goalie Moe Sobel made a tough save on another Haverford shot, but the hosts did net a third goal when Large scored again with 5:15 remaining in the first quarter.

Junior Sebastian Small got the Blue Devils on the scoreboard with 3:22 left in the period. Each team had a chance to score in the last 10 seconds. Fords goalie Colin Decker made a stop on a Blue Devil shot and cleared the ball far upfield to a teammate, but the Fords' final attempt was foiled by SCH's Sobel.

For the game, 22 saves would be recorded for the Blue Devils' keeper. The 10th-grader is held in high regard by SCH head coach Brian Dougherty, a former goalie who holds a place in the U.S. Lacrosse Hall of Fame.

Haverford didn't let up in the second quarter, which began with senior Griff Meyer seizing the ball on the opening face-off and rambling down the field to score with eight seconds elapsed. Rischitelli rang up Haverford's fifth goal with a bounce shot from the left, and senior Reed Campbell attacked from the same side to make it 6-1 with 5:06 to go in the first half.

From the outside on the left wing, junior Spence Meile put away an overhand bouncer for Springside Chestnut Hill with 4:28 on the clock, but the Fords ended the half with a 7-2 advantage after senior Max Fertels found the net at 3:12. SCH was spared an eighth Haverford goal when a late shot pinged off a pipe.

The hosts continued to find the uprights instead of the net as the second half began, with Campbell striking the posts twice over the first two minutes. The Blue Devils actually recorded the first goal of the new half when junior Charlton McDevitt penetrated close to the crease to score with four-and-a-half minutes gone.

Less than a half-minute later, Haverford's Large completed a personal hat trick to raise the lead back up to five goals (8-3), then a six-goal gap appeared when sophomore Conor Morsell logged the final Fords goal of the day with 4:55 left in the third quarter.

There were more penalties and fewer goals in the fourth quarter. Attacking vigorously, Blue Devils junior Zach Silverman had several shots stopped by Haverford's Decker, but he eventually found the net as he looped around from the rear with 2:33 to play. From the middle of the attack zone, Springside Chestnut Hill junior Cole Carberry scored on a low shot with 33.6 seconds remaining to lock in the 9-5 final score.

Haverford's Decker made 12 saves for the victory before sophomore Jackson Gillis came in to finish the game, making one save.

Although the Blue Devils may have come up a little short of the top-tier teams like Haverford this season, they will return all but five players on the 2025 roster. Two of the current seniors will play lacrosse in college, Trevor Saccomandi at the University of Albany, and Griffy Whitman at Swarthmore College.