Columbia, MD – A hard fought battle of attrition between two rivals ended with late goal drama as the Dragons defeated the #1 seed CCBC Essex Knights 2-0 to win the regional championship.
 
The Knights of Essex played a mostly conservative game, choosing to focus on a defensive approach to hold off the Dragons. Looking to avenge their 4-2 regular season loss, it was the Dragons who played a very direct style of play in trying to get onto the scoreboard first. Essex had their chances, especially through the skill of star forward Kara Dietrich who came into the game with 28 goals on the season and ended with a game high seven shots. Howard goalkeeper Hailey Murray (Catonsville, MD/Catonsville) stood up to the task, making eight saves in the game to earn her eighth shutout of the year.
 
It took until the 82^nd minute for the Dragons to break through as a corner kick by Molly Nichols (Mt. Airy, MD/Glenelg) saw Tahlia Stangherlin (Hamilton, Ontario/Pallotti) rise above everyone to head the ball down as the ball bounced into the Essex net to give the Dragons the lead. Just two minutes later, a slide tackle in the box against Tessa Cinotti (Laurel, MD/Reservoir) saw Nichols place the ball on the penalty spot and confidently power the shot into the top right corner of the net to put the game out of reach.
 
Howard won their fourth consecutive regional title including back-to-back championships since moving up to division II. The Dragons will now get to host the Mid-Atlantic District championship game on Friday, November 5 at 3 PM where they will take on Sussex County. The two teams met at Sussex on October 9 which the Skylanders won 4-2.