No. 9 Women's Soccer Outlasts Hagerstown

ARNOLD, MD – The No. 9 Anne Arundel Community College women's soccer team fended off a late comeback attempt by visiting Hagerstown Community College, defeating the Hawks, 4-3, in NJCAA Region 20 action at Siegert Field Thursday afternoon. Cassidy Smith led AACC with a pair of goals and an assist.

Ryann Brooks added a goal and an assist while Kenzie Livingston netted her first career goal for the Riverhawks, who scored their first three goals of the game within the opening 23 minutes of the game.

Smith finished a through ball from Brooks in the 17^th minute. She followed four minutes later by keeping a loose ball from going over the endline before hitting the close corner of the net off the Hagerstown keeper for a 2-0 lead. Livingston headed in a cross from Smith in the 23^rd minute for the 3-0 advantage.

Hagerstown's Marissa Fouke put the Hawks on the board in the 27^th minute with a lofty direct kick that tucked in under the crossbar and out of the reach of AACC keeper Kaitlyn Kenney. Kenney finished the game with eight saves, five of which came in the second half when Hagerstown outshot AACC, 14-6.

Mikaila Ek drew Kenney out of the net in the 51^st minute and scored on the open cage to cut AACC's lead to one, 3-2.

Brooks scored what proved to be the game-winner just three minutes later, converting her own rebound off a charging Delanie Dudley into her team-leading fifth goal of the season.

Hagerstown kept on the pressure, scoring on the Hawks' next shot as Ek's through ball found Diana James in the 60^th minute for the finish. The Hawks continued on with eight more shots, but Kenney was up to the task, including two point-blank stops in the 80^th minute.

The Riverhawks are back in action on Tuesday, September 20, in a 4 pm Region 20 game at Harford Community College.