TEANECK, N.J. (October 12, 2023) – Howard University women's soccer (9-4-2, NEC 4-2-1) scored first, but a pair of late goals by FDU (5-10, 5-2 NEC) would down the Bison, 2-1, Thursday night in Jersey.
Coming out of a 0-0 stalemate at the half, with the help of newcomer Alauna Rutland (Fairfax, Va.) in the 48th minute, team captain junior Melea Earley (La Mirada, Calif.) got her right foot on the ball before sending it into the bottom left corner of the net, scoring the Bison's lone goal. The goal marked the junior's 10th of the season - a career-high.
"We were trying to see if we could play the ball over more," said Earley postgame. "But Alauna got that ball wide and as soon as she was able to cut back in and play me inside, I was able to take on the defender and keeper one-on-one."
HU kept the Knights at arm's distance until FDU snuck one just left of the keeper nearly 30 minutes later and tied the contest, 1-1.
The bottom left corner appeared to be a hot spot as the Knights gained a 2-1 advantage in the 82nd minute.
FDU outranked the Bison in multiple fronts, including shots, assists, shots on goal and corners.
The Knights put rookie keeper Trinity Knox (Atlanta) to work, making 13 attempts in the first half. The Atlanta native managed seven saves before highlighting the match with a career-high 12 saves.
The Bison are back on the pitch Sunday (Oct. 15) when they host LIU in their Kick Out Cancer game. Match time at 1 p.m.
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.
