ARNOLD, MD – The No. 3 ranked Anne Arundel Community College women's lacrosse team has earned the second seed in the NJCAA Region XX Championship. The Riverhawks (8-3, 3-1) will face third seed and 4th ranked CCBC Essex (6-4, 2-4) in the semifinals Wednesday at 1:30 pm at Howard Community College.
The Riverhawks, who have advanced to the championship game in two of the last three seasons, are riding a three-game win streak into the playoffs after outscoring opponents 63-15 in the span.
Anne Arundel ranks second in the region in goals per game, averaging 17.36, and leads the region with an 89.9% shot on goal percentage. Efficiency has been key for the Riverhawks, who have played down a player more than half of the season.
Midfielder Natalie Sonntag paces the AACC offense ranking eighth in the country with 53 points. Her 42 goals ranks fourth in the nation, and she has 11 assists, good for third on the team. She recorded her 100th draw control of the season against Howard on April 30th as part of a career-best 14 DC effort. She leads the nation with 101 draw controls this season. Defensively, Sonntag leads the team and ranks seventh in the nation with 13 caused turnovers.
Jordan Snyder is the Riverhawks' top playmaker with 23 assists – good for 4th in the nation – and has added 25 goals for a total of 48 points to rank in the nation's top 10.
In goal, first-year keeper Sarah Healy has been consistent, ranking second in the region with a 10.27 goals against average. Credit the AACC defense as well, as Healy has faced just 74 shots in 11 games.
In their last meeting, AACC defeated Essex, 19-10, on April 25th. The Riverhawks have won the last six meetings with CCBC Essex, and last lost to the Knights on April 7, 2016, in a 9-8 contest.
The winner of Wednesday's semifinal will face the winner of No. 1 and top seed Harford (10-0) vs fourth seed Howard (1-9) in the championship game Saturday, May 11 at 3 pm.
Anne Arundel will host the NJCAA Championships May 18-19, 2019 at Siegert Stadium. The semifinals are at 11:30 am and 2 pm on Saturday, May 18th, and the NJCAA will crown a national champion Sunday, May 19th, in a game at noon.