by Elliott Jones
WASHINGTON DC, Oct. 1—Emile Innocent scored Howard’s first goal of the season, which proved to be the game-winner as the Bison defeated New Jersey Institute of Technology 1-0 in their Atlantic Soccer Conference opener at Greene Stadium. Goalkeeper Jason Williams recorded 9 saves on his way to his second consecutive shutout.
The Highlanders (1-5-4, 0-1-1 ASC) were reduced to 10 players in the 54th minute when sophomore midfielder Robert Herrera was sent off for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Innocent’s goal came in the 5th minute off of a sweet feed from freshman Lamar Hyde. Innocent passed to Hyde from the left wing and Hyde returned a through-pass back to the left which Innocent then hammered into the right side of the net.
The Bison (1-6-1, 1-0-0 ASC) took that one-goal lead into the break, but received a huge boost when Herrera was red-carded nine minutes after halftime. Holding a one-man advantage for the rest of the match, Howard had many chances to extend their lead. In the 60th minute, Innocent set up midfielder Bode Akingbohungbe with a clever pass, but his shot missed the target wide right.
Howard’s best chance of all came in the 83rd minute when Hyde was taken down in the box and the Bison were awarded a penalty kick. Defender Idris Ughiovhe stepped up to the penalty spot, but his attempt soared wide and over the goal. The Highlanders, out of desperation near the end, produced a wild flurry of shots around the Bison goal, but Williams was able to keep them out and preserve Howard’s first victory of the season.
Howard’s next match is against conference opponent Hartwick
College on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Greene Stadium.