WASHINGTON, DC --- In one of the most exciting contests of the season, the Howard women's soccer team rallied from behind two times but eventually found itself on the losing end of a 4-3 result at the hands of the Jackson State University Lady Tigers Sunday afternoon at Greene Stadium.

The loss was Howard's first defeat at home all season, its first home loss to a SWAC opponent as a member of the conference, and its first setback in Greene Stadium in over a year (9/16/14 vs Longwood).

The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) matchup between Howard (6-6, 2-2 SWAC) and Jackson State (5-5-2, 2-0-1 SWAC) quickly turned into an uphill battle for the Bison after the Lady Tigers scored a pair of goals (6', 14') before the 15-minute mark of the first half. Both JSU scores materialized after freshman goalkeeper Mackenzie Diotte misplayed shots while trying to charge onto the ball high in the box.

HU was able to begin the comeback before the first half ended when senior forward Rasheeda Ansari put home a header in the 38th minute to split JSU's lead in half. Ansari's goal came at the end of a wild 10-second sequence that saw a shot from sophomore forward Kela Gray get blocked by the defense, a follow-up strike from sophomore forward Jordan Bynoe hit the crossbar and Ansari score on the Bison's third attempt. The Bison tied the game in the 50th minute off a corner kick as Ansari got the ball to Bynoe in front of the goal for the tally.

The Bison nearly took their first lead of the match in the 58th minute when Ansari found herself streaking down the left side and able to beat JSU keeper Faith Toennies above the box but the senior missed the open net tap to the left of the goal.

Jackson State's Cydnee Martin - who scored the Lady Tigers' first goal - netted their third score in the 83rd minute on a shot from the left side that weaved through a body of defenders and settled in the bottom left corner of the net.

With time running out, sophomore forward/midfielder Whitney White broke free from a Jackson State defender down the right sideline and passed the ball to junior midfielder Sara Vaughan, who took a shot similar to Martin's and received the same result (88').

However, with barely over a minute remaining, Martin would strike again, covering over 60 yards and beating two Howard defenders singlehandedly for the game-winning goal.

NEXT UP
Howard will host another SWAC homestand on Friday October 9 (Texas Southern, 7 p.m.) and Sunday, October 11 (Prairie View A&M, 1 p.m.).