WASHINGTON — Howard men's soccer closed out its nonconference slate with a commanding 4–1 victory over Virginia State University Wednesday night at Greene Stadium. With the win, the Bison improve to 5–10–1 (3–4 NEC), their best record since 2019, while the Trojans fall to 0–7–3 on the season.
Howard opened the first half on the attack, putting the VSU defense to work with several early attacks. The Bison broke through in the 13th minute when sophomore forward 
Daniil Kaban (Kharkiv, Ukraine) put a header in the back of the net off assists from 
Justin Mims (Norwalk, Ct.) and 
Marshall Lloyd (Washington, DC) to make it 1–0. Howard kept up the pressure, with 
Nigel McCloud (Fayetteville, Ga.) doubling the lead in the 43rd minute with his first goal of the season before adding his second less than two minutes later on a setup from 
Onarae Rice (Greenville, Sc.) , giving the Bison a 3–0 lead at the half.
Virginia State cut into the deficit early in the second half when a Trojan converted a penalty kick in the 49th minute to make it 3–1. The momentum was short-lived, however, as McCloud completed his hat trick in the 54th minute to push the lead back to three. Howard continued to dominate possession and outshot the Trojans down the stretch to secure the 4–1 home win.
McCloud led all players with three goals on eight shots (four on goal), marking his first career hat trick. Kaban added a goal, while Rice, Mims, and Lloyd each tallied assists. Goalkeeper 
Liam Keiller (Gaithersburg, Md.) recorded two saves in 90 minutes of action. McCloud's three-goal performance marked the single-game high for Howard this season.
As a team, Howard outshot Virginia State 25–4 and held an 11–3 advantage in shots on goal. The Bison also led 12–2 in corner kicks while committing only five fouls compared to 13 for the Trojans. 
The Bison return to action Sunday, November 2nd at 1 p.m. when they host Stonehill College for Senior Day at Greene Stadium.
For more information on Howard men's soccer, visit the official Howard Athletics website at 
www.HUBison.com.