Howard CC soccer teams set for nationals

The Howard Community College men’s and women’s soccer teams are playing in the NJCAA Division III Soccer Championships. After district championship wins on Saturday, both teams will compete for national titles Nov. 8-11. The men’s tournament will be held at Wehrum Stadium in Herkimer, N.Y., while the women’s event will take place Wedgbury Stadium in Loves Park, Ill. The Dragons men’s squad (11-8) found its rhythm in the Region 20/District Htournament after an upand- down regular season. In the semifinals against Prince George’s Community College on Thursday, Anthony Perez Rodriguez (Hammond) scored six minutes into overtime to clinch a 2-1 victory. And two days later, first-half goals from Anderson Marroquin (Hammond) and Bryce Waller (River Hill) were enough to upset top-seeded Anne Arundel Community College, sending the Dragons to the national tournament for the second straight year. On the women’s side, Howard CC (11-7) beat Anne Arundel in its semifinal Wednesday thanks to a score from Kylie Toler (Reservoir). That set up Saturday’s championship tilt with Oxford College of Emory University, where the Dragons continued to dominate. Hailey Montoya and Nikki Vieira each scoredbefore halftime, while Cassandra Padellford made three saves in a 2-0 triumph. The Dragons will head to Illinois in search of the program’s first national championship. JUCO WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: Harford Community College, the four-time defending conference champions, is the unanimous No. 1 in the Maryland Junior College Athletic Conference 2018-19 Women’s Basketball Coaches Association preseason poll. Baltimore City Community Col- lege, last season’s runner-up, and Montgomery College were voted number two and three, respectively. Chesapeake, Frederick, Cecil and Hagerstown come in ranked four through seven. CCBC-Catonsville (eighth), Garrett (ninth) and Anne Arundel (10th) round out the top 10. The players to watch list includes: Marci Augustin and Karley Haensler of Anne Arundel; Raelyn Muldrow and Nia Caver of BCCC; Tyeisha Smith and Dahnye Redd of Harford; Sabreen Muslim and Ashlyn McInerny of Howard; and Chante Weedon-Brown and Myah Savage of Catonsville. WOMEN’S SOCCER: Mount St. Mary's freshman Cheyenna Cook has been named the Northeast Conference Rookie of the Week. Cook was a key cog for the Mount defense in the1-0 win over Bryant on Friday that clinched the team's first NEC playoff berth since 1997. ... McDaniel (10-4-1) is ranked 10th in the latest United Soccer Coaches Mid-Atlantic regional poll.