The Bison’s season ended after a historic run, as the team fell to the No. 1 seeded Duke University Blue Devils 8-0 at Koskinen Stadium.
In the first 18 minutes, the Bison women’s soccer team held strong in their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2018 until Blue Devils forward Mia Minestrella put Duke on the board, scoring one of her four goals of the Nov. 15 match.
Minestrella scored another goal minutes later, bringing the tally to 2-0 at the end of the first half.
She challenged a stout defender in Trinity Knox, a Howard sophomore and NEC (Northeast Conference) Goalkeeper of the Year, who faced 31 shots and secured 11 saves, tying her season-high in her final performance of the season.
As the second half commenced, the Blue Devils unleashed a six-goal flurry to cement the score at 8-0.
The team’s season concluded with a record of 11-5-5 (8-1-1 NEC).
The Bison rebounded from an eight-game winless streak early in the season by going undefeated in their last seven games before the tournament.
Their tournament win gave the Bison their first NEC conference title in program history after joining the conference in 2021.
Despite the season starting with a few losses and ties, the team managed to hit their stride when necessary, making program history in the process.
Copy edited by Jalyn Lovelady
