The No. 1 Anne Arundel Community College women’s lacrosse team defeated No. 5 Harford, 25-11, to win the NJCAA Mid-Atlantic Championship at Siegert Field on May 5th. Led by a program record-tying 11 goals from Julia Sokolowski, the Riverhawks (8-0) dominated the game and secured their spot in the NJCAA Women’s Lacrosse Championship on May 13th and 14th at Monroe Community College in Rochester, N.Y.
Despite Harford opening the scoring less than 45 seconds into the game, Anne Arundel quickly bounced back, thanks to goals from Lyndsey Miller and Sokolowski. Harford took a brief lead again after Reagan Saboy’s free position goal, but the Riverhawks closed out the opening quarter with a three-goal run to take the lead.
The Riverhawks used a four and five-goal spree in the second quarter to hold a commanding 14-6 advantage at halftime. In the third quarter, Nellie Gownley scored two goals within 11 seconds to enact the running clock, and AACC scored three in a row to keep the game in check.
AACC keeper Kaitlin Evans made 12 saves in the game, allowing just one free-position goal in five attempts. The Riverhawks were also 6-of-9 in free position shots, and they opted to roll out the ball in lieu of a shot several times late in the game. Anne Arundel also led in draw controls, 23-15, paced by nine each from Sokolowski and Gownley, as well as five from Savanna Reitz.
Harford ran a chaotic offensive scheme that caught AACC off guard midway through the final quarter, using that momentum to score back-to-back goals, but the Riverhawks closed the game with three-straight scores. The 11-goal romp was a career-high for Sokolowski, who leads the NJCAA in points with 67. Teammate Lyndsey Miller had 13 points on eight goals and five assists.
Both teams will advance to the NJCAA Women’s Lacrosse Championship, and seedings for the four-team championship tournament will be announced early next week. The Riverhawks have their sights set on winning the championship after their dominant performance in the Mid-Atlantic Championship.
