PRAIRIE VIEW - Sophomore midfielder Kalia Brown's strike at the 57th minute was one for the history books, as it lifted Prairie View A&M to a 1-0 win over Howard in the 2019 Southwestern Athletic Conference Women's Soccer Tournament Championship.

The victory marks the first soccer tournament title for the Lady Panthers (13-7) in program history.

"It was a great final match," PVAMU Head Coach Sonia Curvelo said. "We've worked extremely hard to be in this situation. Like I've said all year, the players made the plays, and that's what counted. I'm happy for my team and I'm happy for my staff, and I thank them for putting in the work and putting in the extra 5 a.m. workouts they had to put in to experience this moment. I also want to thank my support staff and my administration .. they do a lot of behind-the-scenes work, but they always put our student-athletes first. Thank you to Prairie View."

Locked a defensive struggle with the defending champion Bison early on, neither side was able to find much room to operate in the first half. The teams combined for just two shots on goal, both resulting in saves.

After Howard failed to cash in on a trio of corner kick opportunities in the second half, Brown -- the 2019 SWAC Soccer Tournament Most Valuable Player -- found the twine with a blast up the middle that got past Howard goalkeeper Alayah Hightower.

From there, the Lady Panthers continued the defensive mastery that had come to define their recent stretch of play, turning the Bison away at every turn. Howard had a pair of golden opportunities to tie the match as Thalia Boucher was called upon for two penalty kick chances, but Boucher misfired on both.

Howard had one final look in the 84th minute, but sophomore goalkeeper Quinn Josiah stopped a try from Kendall Macauly, ultimately sealing the title for the Lady Panthers.

Josiah made six saves in the shutout victory, while seniors Gina Zavala de Rojas and Alexis Mack each picked up an assist in the winning effort. Along with Brown, Josiah and freshman Andrea Nugent were named to the 2019 SWAC Soccer All-Tournament Team.

"This is an exciting moment for our student-athletes, our soccer program and our entire department of athletics," PVAMU Athletics Director Alicia Pete said. "Coach Curvelo was a great hire for the Prairie View A&M Athletics Department.  We knew she was the right choice to lead our soccer program to the next level. It's wonderful to see that confidence rewarded with a championship, and I'm confident that this is only the beginning for our soccer program.  This has been a great weekend for Panther Athletics"

Next Up:
The Lady Panthers await their destination in regards to the NCAA Division I Soccer Tournament. The selection show will be Monday, Nov. 11 at 3:30 p.m. on NCAA.com.  Fans, friends, alumni and family are all welcomed to join the soccer team in the William Nicks Building Baby Dome.  The doors will open at 2 p.m.

Fans will have an opportunity to meet and greet the players and receive signed posters.

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