BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - A penalty kick in the 76th minute was the difference as Howard won a tightly contested 1-0 match over Texas Southern Friday night.
The first half was evenly played as TSU opened with a shot and corner kick to begin the match. Physicality was the theme of the night as TSU was whistled for five fouls in the first 20-plus minutes compared to four from Howard. HU fired off two shots in the half but the TSU defense countered with a block.
Jada MacLean opened the second stanza with a shot which was saved by Howard. Nearly 30 minutes would go by until the next shot by either team as HU had a pair followed by Alexis Luna's shot which went wide. In the 76th minute, TSU was whistled for a handball in the box which gave HU a penalty kick attempt. HU scored for the 1-0 lead and held off a late charge by TSU as Kayla Smith and Desiree Harte recorded shots down the stretch compared to two by Howard.
"For us, this game showed how much we've progressed as a unit," said head coach Lindsay Vera. "Our chemistry is only getting stronger and tonight our players left it all out on the field.Â
MacLean led TSU with three shots while goalie Oriana Palacios led TSU with two saves after entering the game due to a red card by TSU's starting goalie.
"It was unfortunate that our goalkeeper was red-carded," said Vera. "That's never something you plan for and, yet, we responded well by continuing to play and posses the ball."
TSU is back in action next Friday night at Southern in Baton Rouge, La. The match is slated to start at 7 p.m.
"Howard is an athletic team and a great challenge for us," added Vera. "They helped us find a few more details that need attention in training this week. Once we address those topics we will be ready to go again on Friday versus Southern."
