Columbia, MD - The Dragons had to come from behind, but achieved their revenge to earn a spot in the championship game. The 3-1 victory over the #2 seed CCBC Catonsville Cardinals will give the Dragons a shot at their first ever regional championship at division 2.

The Cardinals came into the game having beaten Howard the last three matches, including the regional tournament semifinals last season. A 2-1 regular season win had Catonsville feeling confident coming into the match.

However, from the first kick off it was Howard who seemed in firm control of the game, dominating in both possession and scoring chances. But it was the Cardinals who scored first against the run of play as a set piece cross by Casey Granthem found defender Chris Yokum in the box to hit it home and give Catonsville a 1-0 lead at halftime. 

The Dragons stuck to their game plan and it paid off in the 51st minute as a cross by Leonard Dunor (Fargo, ND/Sheyenne) found the hulking Baraka Kagira-Kargbo (Kenya/Moorland (England)) who nodded the ball into the back of the net to tie the game. 

Just five minutes later, it was Trevor Kerr (Laurel, MD/Reservoir) who picked up possession in the middle of the field and hit a perfectly weighted through ball for Dylan Portillo (Bladensburg, MD/El Salvador) who calmly slotted the ball into the net to give Howard their first lead of the game.

The Dragons were able to put the game out of reach in the 72nd minute when Kagira-Kargbo headed on a nice cross, only to see Yokum head the ball into his own net. The physicality of the game intensified throughout the contest, but the Dragons were able to see the game out and earn their way to the finals.

Awaiting the Dragons in the championship game is the #1 team in the NJCAA Division II as the CCBC Essex Knights will go into the game with a 15-1 record. The two rivals will face off with a trip to the national tournament on the line at Howard Community College on Saturday, October 30 at 2:30 PM.