Rochester, N.Y. – No. 1 Harford utilized a 7-0 scoring run to accomplish yet another first in program history on Thursday: a victory over the six-time NJCAA national champion Monroe Community College Tribunes.
Harford becomes the third team to defeat Monroe in the last week. The first, fellow Md Juco Conference member Anne Arundel, ended the Tribunes 98-game winning streak which dated back to the 2012 season. CCBC Essex also defeated the Rochester-based college this past Sunday.
After falling to the Trojans in last year's national championship final, Harford received an off the field victory over Monroe by becoming the first college to be ranked No. 1 by the NJCAA since 2014. The Fighting Owls also became the first Maryland program since 2012 to earn the honor.
Monroe dominated the run of play early on and took a 4-2 lead with just under four minutes to go in the opening half. A large part of the Tribunes was due to goalie Leah Di Domenico, who stopped 11 shots in the first half.
Beth Bishop, Mckenzie Souder and Sarah Dudick sparked the Fighting Owls' comeback. The trio combined to score seven unanswered goals to end the first and begin the second half to put Harford ahead 9-4. A Monroe goal ended the run with nine minutes left in the game, but the Fighting Owls scored three more times to leave no doubt about the final outcome.
Harford is now 8-0 on the year after the win. Monroe falls to 4-3.
Scoring Summary
Harford Goals: Sarah Dudick (6); Beth Bishop (3); Mckenzie Souder (2); Paige Graff (1)
Harford Assists: Bishop (3), Andrus (2), Dudick (1), Graff (1), DeCarlo (1), Wilson (1)
Monroe Goals: Elissa Callaway (3); Emily Smith (2); Makenzie Storto (1)
Monroe Assists: Stone (4), Storto (1)
Goalkeepers
W: Amanda Cliffe (8-0)
L: Leah Di Domenico (4-3)
Game Notes
- Beth Bishop and Sarah Dudick led the way with five ground balls.
- Dudick's six goals are a career high.
- Sammy DeCarlo topped all players with eight draw controls and two caused turnovers.
- Freshman goalie Amanda Cliffe finished with eight saves.
- Harford did not score a free position goal for the first time this season.
- The Fighting Owls fired off a season high 47 shots.
Up Next
Harford remains in New York to face Genesee today at 2 p.m.
