COLUMBIA, Md. - For the second-straight season, the Harford women's lacrosse team will play for the Region XX Championship after defeating CCBC Essex on Saturday, 20-16. The victory also sends the Fighting Owls back to the NJCAA National Tournament next weekend.

Freshman Karley Bush netted seven goals in the win while classmate Paulena Dempsey scored three times as the Fighting Owls took a four-goal lead into the break and led by as many as seven in the second half.

Bush got Harford on the board first. She tied the score at 4-4 and gave the Fighting Owls a 5-4 lead, a lead they would not relinquish in the RXX Semifinal. Bush scored first in the second half to make it 12-7 and extended the lead to its largest at 18-11.

Rachel Smith made 11 saves in goal for Harford. Sierra Sadtler, Emily Nosek and Colleen Chassagne each scored twice for the Fighting Owls.

Harford will take on Anne Arundel on Sunday for the Region XX Championship at 1 p.m. at Howard CC. The Pioneers topped top-seeded Nassau, 10-9.