Gloucester edges Harper in national tourney
The Harper College women’s soccer team suffered a 2-1 loss to Gloucester County College, N.J. (16-2-0) in the opening round of the NJCAA Division III women’s soccer national tournament on Thursday.
The game was scoreless at the half.
A little more than a minute after a shot by Gloucester’s Michelle Relation hit a post, a pair of former Fremd Vikings got Harper on the scoreboard as Weslie Iza found Bree Nishibun to put the Hawks ahead 1-0 lead with 34:12 left in the contest.
With 16:54 left, the Roadrunners (16-2-0) answered as an 18-yard shot from Liz Faulkner found its way into the net to tie the game at 1-1.
The Hawks (6-11-0) next play Anne Arundel Community College, Md. at 9 a.m. Friday in the double-elimination format. Anne Arundel (13-3-0) was shut out 2-0 in its first-round game by Richland College, Texas (11-7-1).
The best Harper and Anne Arundel can finish is fifth.
The loss makes Harper 0-2 in games played at neutral sites this season.
Harper announced Tuesday that coach Dwayne Cruz was named Region IV coach of the year.