By Mekhi Abbott
Special to the AFRO
mabbott@afro.com
Following an historic Northeast Conference (NEC) tournament victory, Howard women’s soccer is preparing to play the first-seeded team in the nation, Duke University, on Nov. 15. The Bison defeated Fairleigh Dickinson University in the NEC Championship game on Nov. 10, clinching their first conference title since joining the NEC in 2021.
Credit: Howard University Women’s Soccer Team/Facebook
After beginning the season with a record of 2-4-4 in their first 10 games, the Bison would not lose a game for the remainder of the season. Howard finished the regular season with a record of 11-4-5 (8-1-1, NEC). Their sole conference loss was at the hands of Stonehill College, but the Bison were able to avenge their defeat against Skyhawks in the first round of the NEC tournament.
“I think starting off 2-4-4 was a real wake-up call for the whole team. After our game against Longwood (University), we had a really honest team meeting where everyone was able to express their frustrations and commit to turning things around. From that point on, I believe we started playing with a renewed sense of heart and purpose,” said starter Rachel Suttle.
This season has been a year of firsts for the Bison. On top of claiming their first NEC tournament title, the Bison also earned their first NEC regular season title this season. It has been a redemption year for the Bison after they narrowly lost the NEC championship game last year to Central Connecticut State 2-1 in a double-overtime thriller.
The list of accolades and accomplishments for this 2024 team does not stop there. Head coach Brent Leiba won NEC Coach of the Year, redshirt junior and University of Georgia transfer Rachel Suttle was named NEC Defensive Player of the Year and Trinity Knox was awarded NEC Goalkeeper of the Year for the second time of her career. Additionally, sophomore Samantha James won Midfielder of the Year and Gabriella Garcia-Terrell was named NEC Rookie of the Year. Howard athletes accounted for five of the six major conference honors, only missing out on Offensive Player of the Year.
“We understand that this level of recognition only happens because we’re winning together as a team,” Suttle told the AFRO. “If we weren’t performing as a unit and supporting each other on and off the field, none of us would be receiving these honors. It’s incredibly special to be recognized alongside the best players in the conference, and for most of those awards to come back to Howard makes it even more meaningful.”
There were six Bison who earned either first or second team NEC All-Conference honors. Garcia-Terrell, Suttle, Knox and James were all named to the first-team. Seniors Melea Earley and Zoe Moore were both named to the NEC All-Conference Second Team.
This marks the third time that Howard’s women soccer will be competing in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament. The Bison will be facing off against Duke for the first time in program history. Duke earned their No. 1 ranking after finishing 14-2-1 and going an impressive 9-0-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. This will be Duke’s 29th time participating in the NCAA tournament.
The first round of the women’s soccer NCAA tournament begins on Nov. 15 and will conclude on Nov. 17. The winner of the first round matchup between the Bison and the Blue Devils will play the victor of LSU and Texas Tech on Nov. 22. If the Bison were to advance from the second round, the semifinal and championship game would be played on Dec. 6 and Dec. 9, respectively.
“As a former Howard soccer player, it’s a beautiful thing to see a team comprised of Black women continue to make history,” said Rudy Acree, a 2022 graduate from Howard University.
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