The Howard Community College Dragons men’s soccer team defeated the Harford Community College Fighting Owls 3-2 in overtime on Oct. 29, 2026, at Dundalk, Maryland. Nelson Hernandez scored the decisive penalty kick, sending Howard Community College to the Region 20 title game for the second consecutive year.
Howard Community College Rallies From Halftime Deficit
Howard Community College took a 1-0 lead in the ninth minute when Angel Giron-Ramos scored on an assist from Yeabsira Tesfaye. Harford Community College answered with goals from Gabriel Nobrega and Mani Awah, who scored with an assist from Kaito Takita.
The Fighting Owls led 2-1 at halftime, but Howard Community College tied the match in the 55th minute. Nicholas Mirecki scored his first goal of the season on an assist from Hernandez, bringing the Dragons level at 2-2.
The match featured 30 total fouls and five yellow cards, four of which went to Harford Community College. Howard Community College held an 8-5 advantage in shots on goal, while goalkeeper Julian Gugino made three saves.
Nelson Hernandez Scores the Overtime Winner
One minute into overtime, Harford Community College goalkeeper Louka Chainey collided with Howard Community College’s Kiar Sani in the penalty box, leading to a penalty kick. Hernandez converted the shot to give the Dragons the 3-2 victory.
Hernandez finished with five shots, three shots on goal, one goal and one assist. Mirecki recorded four shots, two shots on goal and one goal, while Tesfaye, Carson Feeser and Alonso Aguilar each recorded two shots.
Howard Community College Advances to Region 20 Title Game
Howard Community College entered the match with a 15-1-2 overall record and a 12-1-0 conference record. Harford Community College entered with a 12-6-2 overall record and a 9-3-1 conference record.
The Dragons were scheduled to face CCBC Essex in the Region 20 title game Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, at 3 p.m. The matchup was set to be the second consecutive title-game meeting and the sixth consecutive postseason meeting between the programs.
Source: Howard Community College Athletics
Maryland Sports Blog Take
Howard Community College recovered from a 2-1 halftime deficit and advanced with Hernandez’s overtime penalty kick. His goal and assist directly contributed to the Dragons’ second consecutive Region 20 title-game appearance.
Source: Original report
