Howard stuns Texas Southern in double overtime

HOUSTON – The Howard Bison stole a victory from Texas Southern in the last minute of double-overtime Sunday, defeating the Lady Tigers 2-1.
 
Anna Mitchell's 10-yard strike off a pass from Hollie Cartwright and a redirect from Noelle McCullom gave the Bison the victory in the 110th minute of Sunday's contest. The win left Howard (10-4-2) as the lone undefeated team in the Southwestern Athletic Conference with a record of 7-0-1.
 
Texas Southern (7-6-2) remained in second place on the SWAC table with 5-1-1 league record. The Lady Tigers are tied for second place with Arkansas–Pine Bluff; TSU and UAPB tied 1-1 earlier this season.
 
Paige Hayward's ninth goal of the season was the lone tally for Texas Southern. She leveled the score in the 55th minute after running down Kailand Thompson's pass and firing a perfect strike from the top of the penalty area into the bottom-right corner of the goal past Howard goalkeeper Gabrielle Emilien.
 
Scoring chances were few and far between until the 24th minute when Kela Gray scored from 18 yards out, depositing a rebound off a failed challenge from TSU goalkeeper Alexis Robles.
 
The Lady Tigers were on the offensive for most of the second half after leveling the score. Hayward nearly capped the match five minutes into the second overtime when she got free inside the penalty area, but her high, arcing shot was stopped by the 6-foot Emilien.
 
Both Emilien and Robles made five saves apiece on Sunday. Howard was whistled for six offside calls, while TSU did not commit an offside infraction for the entirety of the match.
 
TSU's 5-1-1 start to conference play is still the team's best seven-match league mark in program history. The Lady Tigers aim to return to their winning ways Friday when they host Jackson State. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.