ARNOLD, MD. – Led by a program record-tying 11 goals from Julia Sokolowski, the No. 1 Anne Arundel Community College women's lacrosse team defeated No. 5 Harford, 25-11, to win the NJCAA Mid-Atlantic Championship at Siegert Field.
The 11-goal romp was a career-high for Sokolowski, who leads the NJCAA in points with 67. She also added an assist in the game. Teammate Lyndsey Miller, who set the goal-scoring record earlier this season, had 13 points on eight goals and five assists tonight. Nellie Gownley scored three goals and assisted another, while Savanna Reitz had a hat trick on three shots on goal.
It was only the second time all season that the Riverhawks (8-0) did not score first in the game. Harford opened the scoring less than 45 seconds into the game, and held a 3-0 lead within the first four minutes.
Miller and Sokolowski scored goals 28 seconds apart to cut the deficit to one before Reagan Saboy edged the Owls back ahead by two with a free position goal.
AACC closed out the opening quarter with a three-goal run to take the lead and never give it back.
The Riverhawks used a separate four and five goal sprees in the second quarter to hold a 14-6 advantage headed into halftime.
After trading goals to open the third quarter, Gownley struck twice within an 11-second span to enact the running clock. Harford was able to cut the deficit back into single digits once before the Riverhawks scored three in a row to keep the game in check.
Trailing, 22-9, midway through the final quarter, Harford ran a chaotic offensive scheme that caught AACC off guard, using that momentum to score back-to-back goals, but the Riverhawks closed the game with three-straight scores.
AACC keeper Kaitlin Evans made 12 saves in the game, allowing just one free-position goal in five attempts. AACC was 6-of-9 in free position shots, opting to roll out the ball in lieu of a shot several times late in the game.
AACC led in draw controls, 23-15, paced by nine each from Sokolowski and Gownley, as well as five from Reitz.
Both teams advance to the NJCAA Women's Lacrosse Championship, May 13 & 14 at Monroe Community College in Rochester, N.Y. Seedings for the four-team championship tournament will be announced early next week.