Bel Air, MD - Howard Community College's historic season came to an end Friday afternoon as the top seeded Dragons fell to Harford Community College 19-14 in the NJCAA Men's Lacrosse National Tournament semifinals.
Harford opened the game with four unanswered goals in the opening 11 minutes before Howard broke through on a man-up opportunity late in the first quarter. Lukas Rozon found Quinn Brennan cutting inside for Howard's first goal at the 2:55 mark to trim the deficit to 4-1. After Harford answered with two more goals, the Dragons closed the quarter with momentum as Quinn Brennan fed Logan Foust for a goal with just two seconds remaining in the period to make it 6-2 after one.
Howard's offense found its rhythm in the second quarter. Logan Foust opened the scoring with an unassisted goal at the 10:16 mark before Rozon added a goal of his own less than two minutes later to cut the deficit to 6-4. Harford responded with three straight goals, but the Dragons answered with one of their best stretches of the game.
While playing man-down, Evan Tubb created a transition opportunity and connected with William Pesce for a shorthanded goal to make it 9-5. Moments later, Rozon set up Pesce again on the extra-man opportunity to cut the lead to 10-6, and just eight seconds later Logan Foust assisted Rozon on another quick strike as Howard suddenly pulled within 10-7 heading into halftime.
Harford regained momentum in the third quarter behind its possession advantage and efficient extra-man offense. The Fighting Owls scored four goals in the period, including two more man-up tallies, while limiting Howard to just two scores. Brennan scored unassisted midway through the quarter before Joseph Wolfe carried the ball the length of the field and then buried a late goal with two seconds remaining to keep the Dragons within 14-9 entering the fourth quarter.
Howard continued to push offensively in the final period. Logan Foust found Rozon for a goal early in the quarter to make it 15-10 before Dominic Damico assisted Ethan Sands less than three minutes later. The Dragons also capitalized on another extra-man opportunity when Rozon assisted Brennan for his third goal of the day, trimming the deficit to 17-12 with just under eight minutes to play.
After Harford extended the lead again, Howard closed the game with two late goals from Foust and Wade Davis in the final three minutes, but the Dragons could not complete the comeback effort.
The Dragons finished the game 3-for-7 on extra-man opportunities and also added a shorthanded goal, showcasing the effectiveness of their special teams throughout the afternoon. Rozon finished with six points on three goals and three assists, while Foust added five points on three goals and two assists. Brennan contributed three goals and an assist, while Pesce scored twice.
Goalkeeper Lewis Collora turned in a strong performance despite the loss, recording 21 saves while facing 62 total shots and 40 shots on goal. Defensively, Kobe Brown and Evan Tubb each caused multiple turnovers as Howard forced 30 Harford turnovers overall.
Harford held major advantages in possessions and ground balls, winning 28 of 34 faceoffs and collecting 49 ground balls compared to Howard's 29. The Fighting Owls also converted 6-of-11 extra-man opportunities. George Shonfeld led Harford with five goals and three assists, while Cody MacNeil added three goals and three assists.
Despite the semifinal loss, the Dragons capped off one of the finest seasons in program history. Howard entered the national tournament as the No. 1 overall seed for the first time in program history after capturing the NJCAA Region 20 championship and spending much of the spring ranked among the top teams in the nation.
