Harper plays in national tournament
Harper arrives at the NJCAA Division III women's soccer national tournament as one of only two unranked teams in the Oct. 27 national poll.
The Hawks' first opponent today in Maryland will be North Lake College (Texas, 9-5).
North Lake advanced to nationals after winning the Region V championship.
The Hawks' toughest test could be their second game, where they'll face the winner of the Genesee Community College (N.Y., 16-1-1). and Rochester Community & Technical College (Minn., 15-3) game.
Genesee currently holds the top spot in the NJCAA Division III poll. Harper (18-3) and Rochester met in September in a tournament hosted by Rochester.
Harper advanced to nationals with a 4-3 win over College of DuPage on Saturday. In that match, the Hawks got off to a quick start agaisnt the Chaparrals, scoring the first 2 goals.
After a Harper red card forced the ejection of a defender, the visitors were quickly tested.
“It was a struggle for us to figure out what system we where going to play with 10 players (after the red card ejection),” Harper coach Dwayne Cruz.
College of DuPage made a fierce rally tying the game at 2-2 going into the half.
“They playd 60 minutes of good soccer,” Cruz said of College of DuPage.