Columbia, MD - Howard Community College's men's lacrosse team fought hard but ultimately fell 16-13 to the CCBC Essex Knights in the semifinals of the Region 20 tournament.

Led by six goals from John Stubbs (Catonsville, MD/Boys Latin), the Dragons kept things close with the Knights all the way. Howard had taken a 9-8 lead early in the third, but were outscored 8-4 down the stretch. Despite the loss, the Dragons will receive an at-large bid for the 2025 NJCAA men's lacrosse national tournament.

After falling behind 2-0 early, Howard fought back to tie the game off of goals from Mason Ambrose (Eldersburg, MD/Liberty) and William Pesce (Derwood, MD/Col. Zadok Magruder). Another pair of Essex goals gave the Knights a 4-2 lead after the first, but Howard fought back into the contest early in the second. A goal from Cyrus Frid-Denikos (Elkridge, MD/Howard) and two from John Stubbs (Catonsville, MD/Boys Latin) gave Howard their first lead of the game. The rest of the second was a back-and-forth slugfest, with Stubbs scoring three more goals to keep the game tied at the half.

Logan Foust (Ellicott City, MD/Mt. Hebron) scored seconds into the third quarter, giving Howard their final lead. The rest of the third was dominated by Essex, with the Knights scoring six unanswered goals. Stubbs scored late in the quarter to keep the game close, and a pair of Pesce goals early in the fourth made it a two goal game. Essex turned to forward Kyle Morrison, who scored twice in the final minutes to give the Knights enough breathing room. Ambrose would score one last goal with a minute left, but Howard ran out of steam and couldn't catch the Knights.

Stubbs finished the contest with six goals, three assists, and nine shots. Pesce had three goals, one assist, and six shots. Ambrose scored twice on three shots while also adding two assists. Jack Feys (Poolesville, MD/Poolesville) led the Dragons with five ground balls and four caused turnovers, while Aidan Ro (Ellicott City, MD/Marriotts Ridge) won ten of his 27 faceoffs.

Stubbs, Mitchell Dua (Mount Airy, MD/Loyola Blakefield), and Joseph Wolfe (Bristow, VA/Brentsville District) were all named to the Region 20 All-Tournament team for their performances. Despite the loss, the Dragons received an at-large bid for the 2025 national tournament, and will rematch the Knights this weekend!