Columbia, MD – A fantastic first half surged the Dragons over the Potomac State Catamounts 6-1 in the Region 20 Division II tournament semifinals.

After defeating the Catamounts 7-0 in the regular season, the Dragons came into the game feeling confident. Playing on the front foot right out of the gates, Molly Nichols (Mt. Airy, MD/Glenelg) pounced on a great pass by Amy Rodriguez and hit a left footed shot into the bottom right corner of the net to score in the 8^th minute. Nichols doubled up just two minutes later as Tahlia Stangherlin (Hamilton, Ontario/Pallotti) running down the right sideline crossed the ball perfectly to an open Nichols at the back post for an easy tap in.
 
The Dragons came into the game low on numbers and needed every healthy body on the team to step up. Isa Kreutner (Salisbury, MD/James M Bennett) answered the call as her effort to win the ball in the Catamounts box allowed her to set up Remi Rollins (Columbia, MD/Oakland Mills) for a bullet into the top of the net in the 33^rd minute. Yassine Kamara (Hyattsville, MD/Parkdale) was the next to step up as she scored her third goal of the season from close range after a great cross from Tessa Cinotti (Laurel, MD/Reservoir) to put the Dragons ahead 4-0 at halftime.
 
Howard continued to control the bulk of possession in the second half as the Catamounts struggled to get out of their own half of the field. That pressure paid off in the 59^th minute when a perfectly weighted pass by Nichols found Stangherlin streaking into the box as her left footed shot found the top left corner of the net. The Dragons would make it 6-0 in the 65^th minute when Rollins closed out the scoring with a strong shot into the far side netting for her second of the game.
 
The regional championship match will come to the Dragons and CCBC Essex for the second straight season after the Dragons won it last season. Essex defeated Howard 4-2 in the regular season matchup between the two budding rivals.