Women's Soccer: No. 1 Seeded Knights Ready for Region 20 Tournament
By: Emily Vetri
Rosedale, Md. – The Knights finished the regular season 8-3 and ranked No. 18 in NJCAA Division II Women's Soccer.
CCBC Essex is now preparing for the Region 20 Division II Tournament Championship, where they will face Howard Community College in a rematch of the same game in 2020-21.
The game is Saturday at Howard – men's and women's soccer tournaments host – and kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m.
The No. 16 Dragons (12-2) defeated the Knights 2-1 in last season's regional final, but the Knights got revenge the following week in the NJCAA Mid-Atlantic District Championship to earn an automatic qualifier to the national tournament.
In their last match up (September 15 at Howard), Essex defeated Howard 4-2.
Kara Dietrich (Perry Hall, Md.) netted a hat-trick in that game and Mackenzie Hunt (Dundalk, Md.) added a goal as well.
Road to Regions
The Knights earned their No. 1 seed in the region tournament through the regular season, finishing 3-0 in the division and 6-1 overall in Region 20, despite several injuries along the way.
Essex opened the season with a four-game win streak, taking down Potomac State, Harcum College, Mercer County, and Harford by a combined 21-5 margin.
CCBC Essex then had arguably the toughest three-game stretch in the nation, facing Monroe Community College, Howard, and Division I No. 10 ranked Monroe College, all in a six-day span.
On September 12th, the Knights played the Tribunes tough before falling 2-1 in overtime.
Dietrich tied the game in the 71st minute with her 16th goal of the season, but with five second left in the first extra period, Monroe's Sierra Edwards scored the game-winner.
Three days after defeating Howard, the Knights welcomed Monroe College. Unfortunately for Essex it was all Mustangs from the start, as the Knights dropped the match 7-0.
In the next two games, the Knights won against College of Southern Maryland 4-3 and Anne Arundel CC 6-1. In the latter match, Dietrich became the first Knights women's soccer player to amass 100 career goals.
The Knights then faced Montgomery College and lost 3-2 in a thrilling battle to the final whistle.
Essex closed the regular season on October 14th with an 8-0 win over Hagerstown Community College.
The Knights end the regular season with 46 goals, averaging just over four goals a game.
Their leading goal scorer is Dietrich with 28 goals, followed by Zaida Holloway (Perry Hall, Md.) with eight goals.
Kylie Staubitz (Baltimore, Md.), Dietrich, and Holloway all have a team-high six assists.
Defenders Aya Neal (Perry Hall, Md.) and Abby Meadows (Sparrows Point, Md.) have been the driving force of a defense that has allowed just over two goals a game.
Freshman goalkeeper Sydney Baker (Glen Burnie, Md.) has played every second this season, tallying over 1,000 minutes and accumulating 70 saves along the way.
The winner of Saturday's regional championship game will move on to the NJCAA Division II Mid-Atlantic District Championship, where that winner receives an automatic bid to nationals.