"I think everybody's under the notion Haverford's unbeatable," Malvern coach Leighton Walters said. "Is that what everybody thinks?"
So far, they have been. But Walter's squad can claim the one thing no other team can this season: It faced Haverford and did not lose. Coming in averaging more than five goals a game, the Fords had to settle for a 0-0, double-OT draw.
"It's true: They are a very good team," Walters added. "But there are other very good teams in the area and we think we have the potential to be one of them."
Malvern's roster, decorated with at least three Division I recruits and others who will play at some college level, boasts the type of midfield and defense that, it has proven, can shut out even the most explosive offensive fronts the country has to offer.
Star midfielder Melvin Snoh, a Liberian refugee who works with the Philadelphia Union's player development program, stabilizes the Friars' 4-3-3 formation. A defensive line that boasts Lehigh-bound Michael Matta, senior Ryan Bonner (deciding between Villanova and Cornell), and junior Josef Tingey (originally from Barbados), is Malvern's strength.
"[Haverford junior] Brett Campbell is one of the best forwards in the league," Walters said, "but I think the best overall player in the league, I have him, which is Melvin Snoh."
Snoh has yet to make his college decision, but is favoring Georgetown over North Carolina State and Penn State. Campbell is also a sure D-I player, and had scored 17 goals through Monday (more than two a game).
Malvern (5-1-1) will host Haverford (8-0-1) on Oct. 25 in the return match, otherwise known as the likely Inter-Ac championship.
National spotlight. Some of the very best high school soccer programs in the nation reside in Southeastern Pennsylvania's four counties.
