Columbia, MD - The Howard Community College Dragons picked up their third victory of the season on Sunday, defeating the College of DuPage Chaparrals 16-11.

Behind multi-goal days from the Dragons trio of freshman attackers, Howard established a multi-score lead early, then held off multiple comeback attempts to snatch the victory. The Dragons set season highs with 47 total shots, 32 total shots on goal, and 17 total clears.

William Pesce (Derwood, MD/Col. Zadok Magruder) got the party started for the Dragons with a goal off a pass from Mitchell Dua (Mount Airy, MD/Loyola Blakefield). After a Chaparral response, the Dragons scored three consecutive goals, all courtesy of John Stubbs (Catonsville, MD/Boys Latin). A DuPage run to close the quarter saw the Chaparrals tie the score, but Stubbs' fourth goal of the quarter with seconds left gave Howard a slim 5-4 lead.

Howard and DuPage traded goals to begin the second quarter, with Logan Foust (Ellicott City, MD/Mt. Hebron) and Pesce scoring for the Dragons. Foust snatched his second goal of the game with 1:22 to go in the half, scoring off a beautiful shot from behind the net. Cyrus Frid-Denikos (Elkridge, MD/Howard) then closed out the quarter with a moonshot to make it 9-6 Dragons.

DuPage came out of the half hot, scoring twice in the opening five minutes to draw within one, but a goal each from Pesce and Foust restablished Howard's lead. Still, momentum was fully in DuPage's corner, and the Chaparrals scored twice more the once again get into striking range. Stubbs closed out the quarter with his fifth goal of the game, giving Howard a slim 12-10 lead.

The fourth quarter would see the Dragons defense come to life. Crucial defensive stops, plus Aidan Ro's (Ellicott City, MD/Marriotts Ridge) continued dominance at the face-off kept Howard in control and limited the Chaparrals to just one goal. Pesce and Mitchell Dua (Mount Airy, MD/Loyola Blakefield) each scored to extend the Dragons lead, but the real surprise was Luke Briggs (Windermire, FL/Windermire). The sophomore transfer scored his first two Howard goals in succession to put the finishing touch on the Dragons 16-11 victory!

Stubbs finished the contest with five goals, two assists, seven points, 12 shots, and nine shots on goals. Pesce had four goals, one assist, five points, nine shots, and six shots on goal. Foust completed the impressive performance from the Dragons three main attackers with three goals, two assists, five points, eleven shots, and eight shots on goal. Luke Briggs (Windermire, FL/Windermire) had his best game of the season with two goals, two points, three shots, and three shots on goal, along with a caused turnover on defense. Cyrus Frid-Denikos (Elkridge, MD/Howard) held down the midfield, scoring one goal, two assists, three points, four shots, three shots on goal, and four ground balls. Mitchell Dua (Mount Airy, MD/Loyola Blakefield) had an excellent day, scoring a goal, three assists, four points, and four shots. Aidan Ro (Ellicott City, MD/Marriotts Ridge) won 17 of his 26 faceoffs and scored a season-high ten ground balls. Caiden Hawlk (Dover, DE/Red Lion) picked up three ground balls and forced two turnovers, while Jackson Shekore (Mount Airy, MD/South Carroll) led a solid defensive effort with three caused turnovers. Lewis Collora (Columbia, MD/Wilde Lake) recorded his second win of the season with 12 saves.

The Dragons next face rival Anne Arundel Community College on Saturday, April 5 at 1:00 PM!