THE HILL | The Alabama A&M Bulldogs head just 75 miles North to take on the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders before returning to Rocket City to host Howard University for their home opener. Thursday's contest against MTSU is set for 7 p.m. and will be live streamed via ESPN+. First kick for Sunday's home opener at the Bulldog Soccer Field is scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday's match theme is a Welcome Back Whiteout, and fans are encouraged to wear white. Admission is free to the public.
The Bulldogs look for their first win of the season after dropping a narrow 1-0 decision to the Delaware State Hornets on Sunday afternoon. Though the Maroon and white outshot the Hornets, tallying 16 shots with seven on target, compared to DSU's 11 shots with just five on target, the Hornets converted one of those shots in the 72nd minute to claim the win. Freshmen Ryan McLemore and Charlotte Cuthbertson led the Bulldogs with three shots each, with McLemore leading the team with on target shots. Freshman goalkeeper Adriana Durango saved four balls on the afternoon.
Middle Tennessee State opened their season with a pair of wins, first defeating Belmont University, 2-1, before topping Southwestern Athletic Conference team Jackson State, 3-0, over the opening weekend. Freshman Alli Craig recorded her first career brace in the contest, following senior Emma Patterson's opening goal. MTSU's defense set the pace of the match, limiting the Tigers to just one shot over the 90-minute game. The Blue Raiders lead 8-0 in the overall series with the Maroon and White, most recently taking a 5-0 victory over the Bulldogs last season.
After a historic 2024 season, where they claimed both the Northeast Conference regular season title as well as the Conference Tournament Championships honor, Howard looks to continue their winning streak after splitting a pair over opening weekend, first falling 2-0 to North Florida, before rebounding 4-1 against rival Hampton University. The Bison return the NEC's Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Midfielder of the Year and Goalkeeper of the Year, who are all led by the conference's Coach of the Year. HU holds claimes the overall series 7-1, with the Bulldogs' lone victory coming from a 2-1 decision in 2019.
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