BALTIMORE, Md. – The No. 2 ranked Harford men's lacrosse team opened up its 2021 season on the road Friday, defeating MD JUCO rival CCBC-Essex, 11-3.

The Fighting Owls' win marks a return to regular season action for the first time in two years, as their 2020 season ended on March 16 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Harford showed no signs of rust, taking an early 1-0 advantage off Ben Ferrell's goal two minutes in. Nate Surd followed up by netting two straight midway through the first to give Harford a 3-0 lead. The Knights finally got on the board with just over a minute remaining, but sophomore midfielder Caden Cote hit pay dirt with 33 seconds left to make the score 4-1 heading to the second.

While Harford's defense blanked the Essex offense for the next 15 minutes, Surd and Ferrell combined to score the next three goals for a 7-1 lead at halftime. The Knights would score the first goal of the third, but Pete Behrens tickled the twine in the middle of the quarter to keep Harford ahead by five.

Ferrell and Surd found their way back into the scoring in the fourth, accounting for all three of Harford's goals in the final 15 minutes. The Essex offense was hounded by Fighting Owls goalie Jason Roland (11 saves), who kept the Knights to just one goal in the fourth.

Harford begins the year at 1-0 after the win, while Essex dips to 2-1

Scoring Summary: Click Here

Box Score Highlights

• Surd led all Fighting Owls with five goals, while Ferrell finished just behind at four
• Freshman Taz DeLaney chipped in two assists
• Fernando Robinson won seven face offs and scooped up five ground balls
• Ryan Roszko led the midfield with four ground balls
• Sophomore defenders Nick Jenkins and Peyton Winters tallied three ground balls and two caused turnovers
• Freshman defensemen Freddie Brophy recorded a pair of ground balls and caused turnovers

Up Next
Harford faces the Southern Maryland Hawks on Saturday, March 27 at 1 PM.