BEL AIR, MD - The game was won long before the final whistle. Harford Men's Lacrosse beat every opponent they faced this season, including adversity.

After a spotless 10-0 regular season, and occupying the #1 spot in the NJCAA polls the entire year, a single blemish on Harford's schedule seemed to define the outcome of their season. After losing the Region 20 Championship to a team they had beaten earlier in the season, the Fighting Owls dropped to the #3 seed for postseason play and were forced to face a much more difficult road to the national championship. They missed out on a bye to the Final Four and hosted #6 Howard in a quarterfinal contest at home, while the next two teams they'd have to face rested their legs. They sat through the championship banquet the day before semifinal play began and watched every coach take the stage to receive a District plaque, except theirs. Suddenly, their only loss of the year accumulated much more significance than the numerous losses the other teams carried with them into the postseason, and they had no choice but to respond. Some might sulk in the weight of the disappointment, but this team's unanimous response was "good.".

There's a saying in coaching that a loss is never a loss if you learn from it. Head Coach Aaron Verardi took a moment that could have deflated the energy and will of his team and turned it into a spark that caught fire by the final game of the tournament. How you respond to adversity defines you, and your choice to face it courageously will ultimately determine your fate. The Fighting Owls won the moment they realized the size of the challenge didn't matter, because they knew they could overcome it. There was nothing to deter the spirit of the team, not even a delayed start to the championship game, a missed call by an official, or bad weather. It was all good.

In the final three games of the year against the best teams in the NJCAA, Harford outscored its opponents 64-23, with no team earning more than 9 goals in a game. They allowed the fewest goals against them in the Championship. 

Freshman Kohl Wesner was named the Steve Caravana Offensive Player of the Tournament with 11 goals and 1 assist in two games. LSM Ryan Sweiderk was named the Steve Caravana Defensive Player of the Tournament with 14 ground balls and 9 caused turnovers in two games. Head Coach Aaron Verardi was named the Coach of the Tournament. Liam Forsyth, Jackson Marindin, Carson Crawford, and Collin Fohner were named to the All-Tournament Team.

Harford is now 25-1 over the past two seasons, with its first two National Championships. The NJCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship will continue to be hosted in Bel Air, MD for the next four years.