Anne Arundel Community College's men's lacrosse team ended nine years of frustration last night by defeating visiting Essex Community College, 16-14, in a Region XX showdown in Arnold.

The Pioneers, whose last win over the Knights came in 1985, will see them again when the two teams meet at Catonsville Community College on April 30 to determine who wins the region title and an automatic tournament bid.

"We finally broke down that wall, at least I hope we did," said Pioneers coach Buddy Beardmore. "Our team knew that they could play with these guys but we had to play four quarters."

The Pioneers (10-2), who entered the game ranked fourth in the country in the National Junior Collegiate Athletic Association, took control of the contest in the third quarter as they opened it with five unanswered goals. Three of those goals came off the stick of Steven Phipps, who finished with a team-high five goals.