Stage is Set for 2023 Region 20 Division II Women's Soccer Tournament

COLUMBIA, Md – The NJCAA Region 20 Soccer Committee has announced the seeding and bracket for the 2023 Division II Women's Soccer Tournament beginning on Saturday, October 21 and concluding a week later Saturday, October 28. Most of the tournament will be hosted on the campus of Howard Community College in Columbia, Md., but the quarter-final higher seeds will have the benefit of home field advantage.

Top seed WVU Potomac State earns a bye to the semi-final round with a 4-1-1 record in Region 20 Division II play. The Catamounts outscored opponents 12-6 in division contests, including three shutouts. Sophomore Morgan Piles leads the way offensively for WVU Potomac State with 21 points on nine goals and three assists. Sophomore goalkeeper Hartley VanGilder has collected 48 saves for a 1.21 goals against average. The Catamounts will meet the winner of #4 Anne Arundel and #5 Howard Community College at 1:00 PM on Wednesday, October 25 at Howard Community College. WVU Potomac State lost to Anne Arundel 4-1 on September 12 and tied Howard 1-1 in their most recent meeting on October 3.

Quarter-Final Game 1: #2 CCBC Essex vs. #7 Garrett College, Oct. 21, 1:00 PM at CCBC Dundalk Campus

The defending Division II Women's Soccer Champion CCBC Essex is the second seed in 2023 and will host the seventh seed Garrett College. CCBC Essex compiled a 3-1-2 record and edged College of Southern Maryland in a tiebreaker with a win against common opponent Montgomery College. Ashlin Fuentes and Dayana Rivera Cordero lead the Knights offensively with 19 and 17 points respectively. The Knights defense has only surrendered two goals or more twice this season, securing a best in Region 20 goals against average for keeper Raegan Cantner at one per game.

Garrett College enters their first Region 20 tournament in the sport of women's soccer after launching the sport this fall. The Lakers will travel to CCBC Dundalk, sister campus to CCBC Essex, where the Knights are hosting the quarter-final contest. While Garrett enters the tournament with an 0-5-1 record against division opponents, their tie comes against fifth seeded Howard on October 10 and they held CCBC Essex to a slim 1-0 margin on October 7.

The winner of the CCBC Essex and Garrett contest will advance to the semi-finals at Howard Community College on October 25. They will play at 3:00 pm against the winner of the College of Southern Maryland and Frederick contest.

To watch this quarter-final contest, visit: (58) CCBC Essex Knights - YouTube. To follow live statistics, visit: Garrett College at CCBC Essex | PrimeTime | Sat, Oct. 21, 2023 1:00 PM EDT (ccbcessexknights.com).

Quarter-Final Game 2: #3 College of Southern Maryland (CSM) vs. #6 Frederick, Oct. 21, 10:00 AM at CSM

The College of Southern Maryland captures the third seed with a 3-1-2 record, securing home field advantage in a quarter-final contest against Frederick Community College. CSM's lone loss in division play came against top seed WVU Potomac State. Their two ties are to second seed CCBC Essex and fourth seed Anne Arundel. The Hawks have outscored all other teams in the tournament 8-1. Freshman Megan Hinton leads Region 20 Division II in points with 31 on 14 goals and three assists. Fellow freshman Zoi Whitsett added 15 points on five goals and five assists.

Frederick Community College enters the tournament as the sixth seed coming off a recent shoutout win over Garrett College. At 2-4 in division play, Frederick also earned a 3-2 victory over Anne Arundel in September. Payton Troxell and Sam Gregorio have tallied 10 points and nine points respectively to lead the Cougars in offensive categories.

The College of Southern Maryland holds the regular season advantage, defeating Frederick 3-0 in August. The winner of this quarter-final will play the winner of quarter-final one between CCBC Essex and Garrett College at 3:00 PM on October 25 at Howard Community College.

For more information on how to follow this quarter-final contest, visit: 2023-24 College of Southern Maryland Women's Soccer Schedule - College of Southern Maryland Athletics (csmd.edu).

Quarter-Final Game 3: #4 Anne Arundel vs. #5 Howard, Oct. 21, 12:00 PM at Anne Arundel

With a 3-2-1 record, Anne Arundel Community College earns the fourth seed and hosts Howard Community College in the third quarter-final game of the tournament. Anne Arundel is the only team in the tournament to defeat top seed WVU Potomac State in division play and their margin of victory in their two division losses is one goal. Makenzie Boyd and Mia Hull lead the Riverhawks with 18 points and 15 points respectively. Tina Tinelli's eight points comes while also anchoring the defense.

Howard Community College visits Anne Arundel with a 1-2-3 record and the accolade of also knocking off WVU Potomac State albeit in a non-division contest. Howard and WVU Potomac State played to a draw in their division game in October. The Dragons earn the fifth seed with a head-to-head victory over Frederick and additional ties against CCBC Essex and Garrett. Freshman Kimberly Ruano's eight goals lead Howard offensively.

Anne Arundel and Howard have not played head-to-head this season. The winner of the quarter-final contest advances to play WVU Potomac State on Wednesday, October 25 at 1:00 PM at Howard Community College.

To watch this quarter-final, visit: (58) NJCAA Women's Soccer: Howard at Anne Arundel (October 21, 2023) - YouTube. To follow live statistics, visit: Howard Community College at AACC | PrimeTime | Sat, Oct. 21, 2023 12:00 PM EDT (aaccathletics.com).

Championship Game: Winner of Semi-Final 1 vs. Winner of Semi-Final 2, Oct. 28, 1:00 PM at Howard CC

The winner of each semi-final game will advance to the final which is scheduled to be played at 12:00 PM on Saturday, October 28 at Howard Community College. For tournament information follow the NJCAA Region 20 website and select the Championships tab. You can also find that page here, Division II Women's Soccer Championship Information - Region 20 (njcaaregion20.org) and visit the website of Howard Community College here, Howard Community College Athletics - Official Athletics Website (howardccdragons.com)