Women's Soccer Opens Pool Play at NJCAA Championships Monday

ARNOLD, Md. – The Anne Arundel Community College women's soccer team opens pool play Monday at the 2024 NJCAA Division II Women's Soccer Championships. The Riverhawks will face seventh seed Rock Valley College in Huntsville, Alabama, at 12:30 p.m. CT. AACC's second pool play game is at 12:30 p.m. CT Tuesday, against second seed Johnson County Community College.

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AACC (13-2-1) won the NJCAA DII East District championship on November 8, in West Windsor Township, N.J. Led by two goals and two assists from freshman forward Emma Miga, the Riverhawks scored four consecutive goals to overcome a two-goal deficit and defeat No. 20 Mercer County Community College, 4-3.

The Riverhawks enter the tournament on a nine-game win streak, the longest since the 2014 season when the then-Division III Riverhawks won the District H title and placed sixth at the NJCAA Championships.

The Riverhawks have made NJCAA national tournament appearances in all three divisions. The most recent Division III appearance came in 2022, and the most recent Division I appearance came in 2010.

Miga leads the team and ranks second in Region 20 with 41 points. She leads the Region with 11 assists and her 15 goals ranks third in the Region. Sophomore midfielder Makenzie Boyd, a 2023 All-Region 20 First Team honoree, has scored eight goals with two assists. Sophomore forward Jaylin Sheffield leads the team with four game-winning goals among eight total goals and one assist.

The Riverhawks have limited opponents to 1.25 goals per game this season with six shutouts. The back line, featuring 2023 All-Region First Team selection Tina Tinelli and freshmen Eden Abey, Megan Strevig, and McKenzie Gilbert, has held opponents to 5.44 shots on goal and 10.2 total shots per game.

Goalkeeper Péla Saunders leads Region 20 in goals allowed (7), goals against average (0.88), and save percentage (.825). Saunders has recorded three shutouts in her 8-0-0 record. Saunders earned her first win against a ranked opponent in the District Championship.

Rock Valley (17-2-1) is making its second-straight national tournament appearance after upsetting top seed South Suburban College, 2-0, in the NJCAA Region 4 Championship on November 9. Sophomore midfielder Emma Ambrose (9 G, 16 A) and freshman forward Isabelle Rivera (14 G, 6 A) pace the Golden Eagles' offense with 34 points each. Sophomore goalkeeper Naitzy Garcia leads the nation with 13 shutouts in 20 games played this season. She has allowed just 12 goals all season with 54 saves.

Johnson County (17-0-3), the 2023 national runner up, earned a tournament bid with a 2-1 victory over No. 16-ranked Iowa Lakes Community College in the North Plains District Championship on November 9. The Lady Cavaliers are making their second-straight DII championships appearance; after earning an at-large bid as the seventh seed in 2023, they fell to fifth seed Jones College, 3-0, in the title game. Sophomore Maya Wallace leads Johnson County with 45 points on 18 goals and nine assists, while sophomore forward Karsen Koehler has added nine goals and 15 assists for 33 points. Koehler had a goal and an assist in the District Championship. Sophomore keepers Maddox Fergus (9-0-1) and Katie Stoskopf (8-0-2)have split time in net, with the duo recording 16shutouts between the two of them. The Lady Cavaliers have given up just two goals over the last 18 games.