WASHINGTON — Howard women's soccer celebrated Senior Night with a bang, recording its sixth shutout of the season with a commanding 5–0 victory over Saint Francis University Thursday evening at Greene Stadium. With the win, the Bison improve to 9–5–3 overall and 7–1–2 in NEC play, while the Red Flash fall to 0–13–4 (0–8–2 NEC).

Prior to kickoff, the program honored eight seniors, Saliyah Brady (Atlanta, Ga.), Jaiya Bolden (Charlotte, Nc.), Laila Cowsette (Laurel, Md.), Jaileen De Freitas (Miramar, Fla.), Bre'Elle Dean (North Ogden, Utah), Cheyenne Lam (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), Leah Williams (Ellicott City, Md.), and Mia Young (Sunrise, Fla.), for their dedication and contributions to the program.

Howard controlled possession throughout the opening half, keeping the pressure on Saint Francis with a 12–2 edge in shots. Despite several strong chances from Imani Kissi (Dublin, Oh.), Gabriella Garcia-Terrell (Herndon, Va.), and Rachel Suttle (Samyra, Ga.), the Bison entered the break in a scoreless tie after a series of saves from SFU's goalkeeper.

The Bison offense erupted in the second half. Freshman Alauna Rutland (Fairfax, Va.) opened the scoring in the 64th minute off an assist from Garcia-Terrell. Just a minute later, Garcia-Terrell doubled the lead with her ninth goal of the season. Senior Mia Young extended the advantage to 3–0 in the 72nd minute with her first goal of the year before Suttle made it 4–0 in the 86th minute, assisted by Young and Williams. The night was capped off fittingly when senior Saliyah Brady netted her first goal of the season, marking her first since her freshman campaign, in the 88th minute to seal the 5–0 victory.

Garcia-Terrell led all players with a goal and an assist, while Rutland, Young, Suttle, and Brady each added goals for Howard. Young and Williams recorded assists on Senior Night, and goalkeeper Trinity Knox (Atlanta) made one save to secure her sixth clean sheet of the season.

As a team, Howard outshot Saint Francis 26–4, including a 12–2 advantage in shots on goal, and earned seven corner kicks while limiting the Red Flash to three.

The Bison return to action Sunday, November 2, at 12 p.m., when they close out the regular season against top-seeded FDU.

For more information on Howard women's soccer, visit the official Howard Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.