Bel Air, MD - The Harford Fighting Owls women's soccer team kicked off the 2024 season with two shutout victories at home against Rowan College of Gloucester County and Anne Arundel Community College. 

The season opener against the Road Runners of Rowan College was a spirited contest as both teams were anxious as they returned to the pitch for the new season. Both teams fought a back and forth contest as the nerves settled and the teams tried to find their rhythm. Harford pressed Rowan with their speed and used their ball skills to keep a majority of the playing time in the Harford attack zone. Freshman, Soraya Ramirez broke free at the 30 minute mark of the first half to tally the first goal of the contest and put Harford up 1-0. 
In the second half, Harford continued to press the Rowan defense and quickly added a second goal from Ramirez, minutes into the second half. The Fighting Owls proved to be too deep and too strong on the afternoon as they limited the Road Runner offense to only four shots on goal. Midway in the second half, Gabby Burke lofted a shot over the Rowan keeper to add the final goal on the day for Harford. Freshman keepers, Kaylee Norstrand and Emma Zegers, only faced nine shots (four on goal) on the day as the Fighting Owls opened the season with a 3-0 victory.

In the second match of the season, the Fighting Owls were looking to continue their winning ways against rival Anne Arunel Community College Riverhawks. Last season, both teams played to a 0-0 draw and this year's contest was expected to be a hard fought and close contest. Like their first contest, Harford looked to control the pace of the match by keeping the ball in their attack zone. The Fighting Owl offense peppered the Riverhawk keeper, Holly Wall, with 33 shots and 13 shots on goal. Soraya Ramirez scored the lone goal of the game (her 3rd on the season) in the 41st minute. Ramirez carried the ball up the near side from midfield dodge a pair of defenders and sent her shot past the diving Wall.
Harford keepers, Kaylee Norstrand and Emma Zegers, split time again and faced 11 shots (5 on goal) on the day. The Riverhawks best scoring opportunity came in the 81^st minute as the Anne Arundel attacker sent in a direct kick from just outside the 18 that hit the crossbar. The Fighting Owls moved to 2-0 on the season and travel to New York this weekend to play two NJCAA ranked opponents (#11 Monroe Community College and #14 Laramie County Community College.