WASHINGTON (August 22, 2019) – After winning their third league title in five seasons, the Howard University Women's Soccer team opens its 2019 campaign with a brief two-match homestand, starting Friday (August 23) against Mount St. Mary's. The action kicks off at 7 p.m. inside Greene Stadium.
Fans can follow all the action via
live stats.
SEASON PREVIEW
Howard head coach
Brent Leiba enters his 11
th season at the helm, seeking his fourth Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) championship in six years.
Despite losing several Bison due to graduation, HU returns with a core of juniors and sophomores. On Aug. 9, the SWAC uncovered its 2019 preseason honors where five Bison made the list: senior
Alayah Hightower (Second Team; SWAC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year), junior
Aleeya Sawyer (All-SWAC First Team) and sophomores
Thalia Boucher (All-SWAC First Team),
Kendall Macauly (All-SWAC First Team) and
Victoria Thornton (All-SWAC First Team).
MATCHUP PREVIEW
HOWARD
After Sunday's final tune-up at American (August 18), Coach Leiba's bunch is posed for another title run.
Last season, Hightower (Hanover, Md.), 2019 SWAC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, registered 12 shutouts, including seven straight in league play. She was also named to the Preseason All-SWAC Second Team.
Offensively, Boucher (Toronto, Canada), Sawyer (Lincolnshire, Ill.) and Thornton (Plainfield, Ill.) spearhead the Bison attack while Macauly (Toronto, Canada) provides the defensive support for Hightower.
Entering the year, HU was predicted to win the SWAC title again.
MOUNT ST. MARY'S
Before the season, Mount St. Mary's was picked fifth in the Northeast Conference (NEC) Preseason Coaches Poll after qualifying for the NEC Tournament for the first time since 1997 a year ago.
The Mount earned the No. 3 seed at last year's NEC Tournament with a 4-2-2 league record while finishing with a 5-9-3 overall mark.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
On Aug. 30, Coach Leiba's bunch concludes its two-match homestand with UNC Asheville. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. at Greene Stadium.
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at
www.HUBison.com.
