HBCUs With Soccer Programs That Should Be on Your Radar

March 25, 2021
By Rachel Gonzalez

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) have some of the richest histories of any educational institution in the country. While not every HBCU has an athletics program there are a few schools with women’s soccer programs you should keep your eye on.

Howard University

Probably one of the most well-known HBCUs, Howard University also has one of the top women’s soccer programs. In their last season, the Howard Bison outscored their opponents by 20 goals and averaged just under two goals per game. In their 2019 season, the women of Howard soccer brought home 14 wins out of 18. For the last eight years, Howard has finished with a winning record; and except for 2017 and 2013, Howard has finished every season with 13 wins.

Prairie View A&M

So far this season, the Prairie View A&M Panthers have only lost one game and their wins have been pretty stellar. At the beginning of this month, the Panthers took home a 5-0 victory over Alcorn. Their top scorer, sophomore Andrea Nugent, has been on fire in their last two games with no signs of stopping. The Panthers have allowed less than half as many goals as they’ve scored in their season so far. Prairie View has been on the rise since 2017 with their record improving year by year.

Southern University and A&M College

Despite their 2021 season being on pause due to the ongoing pandemic, Southern University has seen some great years. Aside from being a tough team on the field, the Southern University women’s soccer team were the recipients of the 2020 Athletes for Hope Team of the Year. This award is given to collegiate teams that are dedicated to volunteering and outreach. The Jaguars are committed to doing their best on and off the field, something that should always be admired in the world of athletics.

Grambling State University

Just before the pandemic, the Grambling State University Tigers had a 10-10-1 season. Currently, they are working on a 3-2-1 record, falling once to Southern University and again to ULM. Their offensive one to watch is Junior Kailey Pena, scoring or assisting at least once in seven of their 20 games in 2019. The Grambling Tigers are fighting to make their team one of the best in the conference.

HBCU athletics have given the world some seriously great moments in sports history. Soccer, specifically women’s soccer, is becoming a much bigger part of that legacy. Hampton University, a school that has been around since 1863, only just established its own women’s soccer team back in 2015.

With women’s soccer on the rise on an international level, thanks to the USWNT and all the waves they so regularly make, more universities are bound to hop on the trend.