Essex, MD – A roller coaster of emotions allowed for an exciting game that the Dragons were able to drive home happy with a 4-2 win over conference rivals CCBC Essex.
Howard had a couple of early opportunities as a couple of corner kicks from either side of the field that almost went directly in the Knights goal but was parried away by goalkeeper Retkowski.
With the Dragons controlling much of the early possession in the first 15 minutes of play,
Nikki Vieira (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Colégio Adventista) was able to break through the Knights line and chipped the ball into the net for her 17
th of the season.
The Knights were able to even the game just before halftime as a long cross by Madison D'Amico found her sister Bailey D'Amico to catch the Dragons defense against the run of play.
After the break, Howard broke through early as
Hailey Montoya (Redlands, CA/Redlands East Valley) created some space down the left side and crossed it into Vieira who tapped in from close range to take the lead back at 2-1.
With time running low, the Knights earned a free kick just outside of the box and Essex converted to tie the game at 2-2 with 10 minutes left in regulation.
With just over three minutes of play left in the second half, Vieira got control in the final third of the field and played a great through ball to
Rylee Nieman (Mt. Airy, MD/South Carroll) who buried it into the net for a dramatic late winner.
The Dragons added an insurance goal with just seconds remaining as
Leigh McDonald (Loveland, CO/Mountain View) scored on a curling free kick into the top left corner of the net to ensure a happy regular season finale for Howard.
With the regular season coming to an end, the Dragons currently sit tied for first place in the Md Juco conference standings with 18 points at 6-2 with Montgomery only needing a draw or win against Southern Maryland in their final regular season game to clinch the championship.
Regardless, Howard closes their slate of scheduled games at 9-7 and will now prepare to host the Region 20 Division III tournament with a semifinal match against Anne Arundel scheduled for Wednesday, October 24 at 3 PM.
