Dundalk, MD - Nelson Hernandez struck in overtime on a penalty kick to send the Howard Community College Dragons to the Region 20 title game for the second year in a row.
Howard overcame a 2-1 halftime deficit to defeat the Harford Community College Fighting Owls 3-2 in one of the wildest games in program history.
The Dragons would strike first in the ninth minute as
Angel Giron-Ramos scored off a pass from
Yeabsira Tesfaye. Harford would respond quickly, scoring twice over the next ten minutes to take a 2-1 lead.
Howard's defense dug in the rest of the game, holding off an aggressive Harford attack. Thursday night's game was a gritty one, featuring 30 total fouls and five yellow cards. Four of those cards belonged to Harford, as the Fighting Owls kept getting into trouble in their own territory. This allowed for the Dragons to respond with a barrage of their own shots throughout the second half.
The Dragons finally connected in the 55th minute, as sophomore
Nicholas Mirecki scored his first goal of the season off a pass from Hernandez. The intensity ramped up with the game now tied 2-2, as both teams committed numerous fouls to try and slow the other down. The strategies worked, with regulation ending in a tie.
One minute into overtime, the Fighting Owls made a game-changin mistake. Goalkeeper Louka Chainey collided with Howard's
Kiar Sani in the penalty box, setting up a crucial penalty kick. Hernandez aced the shot, sending Howard into the regional championship for the second-straight year.
Hernandez was the star of the show for the Dragons, finishing with five shots, three shots on goal, a goal, and an assist. Mirecki had a phenomenal night both on defense and on offense, recording four shots, two shots on goal, and a goal. Tesfaye,
Carson Feeser, and
Alonso Aguilar each had two shots, while goalkeeper
Julian Gugino made three saves.
The Dragons will take on rival CCBC Essex in the Region 20 title game on Saturday, October 31 at 3:00 PM. The matchup will be the second-straight title game and sixth-straight postseason meeting between the two schools.
