BEL AIR, Md. — The Harford Community College women's soccer team closed its regular season with consecutive shutout victories, defeating Hagerstown Community College 2-0 on Tuesday and last night defeated CCBC Catonsville 7-0 to carry a 9-0-1 run into the NJCAA Region 20 Division II Tournament.
The Fighting Owls have outscored their opponents 52-1 over the last 10 matches.
Harford improved to 12-1-2 overall and 10-0-2 in conference play with Thursday's win at CCBC Catonsville. They open the region tournament at home Saturday, Oct. 24, with a quarterfinal match against an opponent to be determined.
Against Catonsville, Harford struck early and built a commanding 5-0 halftime lead. Lila Vincenti opened the scoring in the second minute, and Hailey Cain doubled the advantage at 5:20 off an assist from Vincenti. Macy Forest added a goal at 8:39, assisted by Allison Putkisto, before Cain scored again at 25:02. Grace Manager capped the first-half scoring at 35:35 with an assist from Sydney Stoneback.
Annabelle Lathroum extended the lead to 6-0 in the second half at 63:32, with Forest recording the assist.Victoria Mendez completed the scoring at 76:40.
The Fighting Owls dominated statistically, outshooting Catonsville 33-0 and putting 24 shots on goal. Catonsville goalkeeper Soleil Umbarger made 17 saves to keep the final margin from growing further. Harford goalkeeper Olivia Wollschlager was not required to make a save in the shutout.
Harford carried that offensive momentum into the postseason stretch after a strong performance against Hagerstown two days earlier at Harford Sports Complex in Bel Air.
Forest opened the scoring at 9:03, finishing a pass from Vincenti. Vincenti then scored at 16:38 off an assist from Annabelle Lathroum to give the Fighting Owls a two-goal advantage they maintained through the final whistle.
Harford outshot Hagerstown 11-8 and held an 8-5 advantage in shots on goal. Wollschlager made five saves to secure the shutout, helping the Fighting Owls finish their final two regular-season games without conceding a goal.
The back-to-back victories capped a consistent late-season stretch for Harford, which has combined strong attacking production with defensive discipline heading into regional competition.
The NJCAA Region 20 Tournament begins Saturday, Oct. 24, with quarterfinal action at Harford Stadium in Bel Air. The semifinals are scheduled for Oct. 28 at CCBC Dundalk, followed by the championship game Oct. 31, also at CCBC Dundalk. Harford will look to carry its late-season form into the tournament as it pursues a regional title.
