COLUMBIA, Md. - The No. 4 Harford women's lacrosse team earned its biggest win of the season, knocking off No. Howard, 9-5, on the road on Thursday. The Fighting Owls are now in the driver's seat for the top seed in the Region XX Championships.

The Fighting Owls never trailed in the contest, scoring four of the game's first five goals. Lauren Haggerty controlled the pace from the jump, winning 10 draw controls and scoring three of her game-high four tallies in the contest's first 17 minutes.

Megan Aro netted three goals and handed out an assist in the win and Cassidy Jones dished out four helpers. Haggerty leads the NJCAA with 42 goals and Jones leads the nation with 35 assists. Haggerty's 111 draw controls also are tops in the nation.

Allie Storke and the Harford defense were also stellar in the victory. The sophomore goalie made 12 saves and ranks third in the nation with 83 stops, just two behind the NJCAA leader.

Harford hosts Suffolk on Saturday at 1 p.m.