VESTAVIA HILLS, AL --- Senior midfielder Nia Walcott scored the game-winning goal with less than four minutes remaining to give the Howard women's soccer team a 3-2 victory over Alabama State on Sunday afternoon at the Sicard Hollow Athletic Complex.
 
The win keeps Howard (5-7-1, 4-0 SWAC) atop the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) with an unblemished record and extends the team's win streak to five games, the longest during Head Coach Brent Leiba's tenure.
 
With the game tied 2-2 and seemingly headed to overtime, Walcott took a right side cross pass from sophomore defender Sandra Bond and chipped it past ASU goalkeeper Kylee Hathaway for the decisive point.
 
Walcott's tally – her sixth overall and third in as many games – capped a wild afternoon that saw the Lady Bison face its first true conference test.
 
Alabama State (3-9, 0-3 SWAC) struck first in the sixth minute as 2013 SWAC Offensive Player of the Year Aaliyah Lewis took a left side cross from Shelbi Vienna-Hallam and sent a shot pass Howard senior goalkeeper Kyra Dickinson.
 
Howard would score the next two goals to take their first lead of the match. The first score came in the 18^th minute when sophomore midfielder Sara Vaughan crossed a pass from the middle to junior midfielder Nikanya Clark, who scored in the upper left corner of the net. About seven minutes later (24'), a corner kick connection from sophomore Carmen Suarez to the heel of junior midfielder Dytria Ruddy gave Howard a 2-1 lead.

Not to be outdone, Lewis would strike again in the 29th minunte, taking a Kayla Edwards pass and shooting from about 12 yards out to make the score 2-2 - where it would stand until Walcott's heroics.

The Lady Bison will hit the road next weekend to continue SWAC play, facing off with Jackson State (10/10 @ 4pm Eastern) and Southern (10/12 @ 2pm Eastern).