Rosedale, MD - The Howard Community College Dragons suffered their first loss of the 2026 season Thursday night, falling to rivals CCBC Essex 5-0.
The long-awaited rematch of last season's Region 20 championship game was all Essex, as the Knights built a 3-0 halftime lead, then added two late goals to clinch the win. The loss drops Howard to 5-1-1 on the season.
The Dragons defense played well in the opening minutes, with goalkeeper Alejandro Dealvarez making several stunning saves against fierce pressure from the Knights. Howard's forwards had several good looks, but Essex keeper Jacob Peace responded with a series of amazing saves midway through the period.
Essex struck first in the 27th minute when Dony Mendoza scored unassisted. Noel Calix added another goal one minute later to make it 2-0, and Zen Shimono added a third just before the half.
The second half saw the intensity ramp up, with four yellow cards and one red card during the period. Essex continued to dominate on defense, shutting out the Dragons while adding two more goals from Shimono and Mendoza to make it 5-0 at the whistle.
Yeabsira Tesfaye led the Dragons with five shots on the night, while
Nelson Hernandez had four shots and three shots on goals. Dealvarez made eight total saves in net.
The Dragons will next face Hagerstown Community College at home on Tuesday, September 22 at 2:30 PM.
