Box Score
 
WASHINGTON, DC– Retha Koeford scored the lone goal of the match with five minutes remaining in regulation, enabling Howard to come away with a 1-0 victory over the NJIT women's soccer team in the final match of the regular season.
 
The loss dropped the Highlanders to 4-12-3 overall, 2-3 in Great West play while Howard won for only the second time in 18 matches, improving to 2-14-2 overall, 1-3 in the Great West.  
 
NJIT head women's soccer coach Sergio Gonzalez was disheartened by the setback.
 
“We were really flat overall and we weren't threatening with the ball at all,” Gonzalez said. “It's really disappointing, because I thought we had built some tremendous momentum over the last few weeks. We didn't take advantage of our chances. Howard is a very hard working team who didn't quit. They kept plugging along. If you allow the game to go along scoreless, you can give the opponent the opportunity to score and win it. Sure enough, that's what they did.”
 
The Highlanders had possession at midfield, but then lost the ball. Howard's Nia Walcott pounced on the chance and pushed it ahead to Koeford, who beat NJIT freshman goalkeeper Samantha Bersett with exactly five minutes remaining in regulation.
 
“We lost possession and they countered,” Gonzalez said. “It was as simple as that. We have to be consistent and disciplined with the ball. When you don't do that, it's difficult to win. We did some things okay, but most of the time, we were flat in our attack.”
 
The Highlanders had the first good scoring chance. In the sixth minute, sophomore midfielder Kylie Jones fired a shot from close range that Howard goalie Kyra Dickinson stopped.
 
Bersett, who made five saves in goal for the Highlanders, made two big saves in the first half, in the ninth minute and in the 21^st minute, keeping Howard off the scoreboard.
 
Highlander junior forward Amanda Redden had two excellent chances in a 30-second span of the first half. Redden's blast in the 27^th minute was stopped by the Howard back wall and her shot just 25 seconds later sailed wide of the goal.
 
Bersett came up big again in the final minute of the first half, stopping a shot from Howard's Jeseca Hinds, as the game remained scoreless at intermission.
 
Bersett made another save in the 81^st minute to keep the match scoreless, stonewalling Jordan Brown from point blank range.
 
But Howard broke the scoreless deadlock with Koeford's goal in the 85^th minute. A minute after Howard's goal, Redden had perhaps her best chance to score, but her direct free kick was stopped by Dickinson with a diving save.
 
“The keeper made a tremendous save on Redden's free kick,” Gonzalez said.
 
The Highlanders are now off until next Friday, when they begin play in the Great West Conference tournament at Utah Valley.
 
“The tournament is one and done,” Gonzalez said. “I think we've made tremendous strides this season. Our record doesn't indicate how well we've played. We've done some great things. This was not the way I wanted to see us play going into the tournament. We have to move forward. We're not done yet. We have to get ourselves back on track and get ready for the tournament.”

Write up courtesy James Hague