HUNTSVILLE, AL --- In the 15-year history of Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) women's soccer, no team has ever repeated as tournament champion.

The Howard women's soccer team is one win away from rewriting conference history.

Howard, the No. 4 seed in the 2015 SWAC Tournament and defending league champion, will take on the No. 3 seed Alabama State Lady Hornets in the 2015 SWAC Championship Game on Sunday, November 8 at 12 p.m. Eastern (11 a.m. Central) at the John Hunt Soccer Complex. The match will be streamed live on the SWAC Digital Network.

HOW THEY GOT HERE
-    For Howard, the journey back to the Championship Game was tougher than expected. In 2014, Howard's senior-led team cruised to a 9-1 regular season record & top overall tournament seed before defeating Alabama A&M, Jackson State and Prairie View A&M for the title. With a target on its back in 2015, the Bison still performed well in conference (7-3, 4th Place) but its three league losses were all by one goal - the growing pains of a team that starts at least seven freshman and sophomores.
-    However, the championship experience of the veterans and the developing confidence of the freshmen has propelled Howard so far in this year's tournament. Freshmen Makela Davidson and Anna Mitchell scored the Bison's goals in its quarterfinal win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff while seniors Rasheeda Ansari & Dytria Ruddy, along with underclassmen Whitney White, Noelle McCullom, Jordan Bynoe, Gabrielle Emilien and Kendall Hamilton all contributed to the thrilling semifinal shootout victory over top seed Mississippi Valley State.
-    Howard has been led this season by sophomore forward Kela Gray. The transfer from TCU leads the Bison in every statistical category including goals (17), assists (7, tied) and points (41). Her influence has helped push Howard into the top three nationally in goals, points and shots.
-    Standing in the way of Howard and history is an Alabama State team searching for its first title. The Lady Hornets are led by the dynamic duo of twin sisters Aaliyah & Ariela Lewis. The Alabama State offense revolves around the juniors, as Ariela (13 G, 10 A) and Aaliyah (10 G, 6 A) have accounted for 46.9 percent of ASU's goals, 43.2 percent of ASU's assists and two-thirds of the ASU's game-winning scores (6-of-9).
-    The Lady Hornets enter the title game with a 9-10-1 record, with all of their wins (seven in regular season, two in tournament) coming against SWAC competition. ASU has also won its last four contests, outscoring teams 18-2 and posting three straight shutouts. The Lewis twins have scored all six goals for ASU in the tournament in 3-0 victories over Texas Southern & Prairie View A&M.
-    Howard and Alabama State have split their two meetings since the Bison joined the SWAC: the Bison rallied to beat ASU, 3-2, back on 10/5/2014 while Alabama State edged Howard, 1-0 on September 25 of this year.

WHAT'S AT STAKE / OTHER NOTES
-    A win would give Howard back-to-back SWAC titles in its first two seasons in the league and its first-ever trip to the Women's College Cup. The NCAA Tournament bid would also be the first for the University since 2007 when the Bison softball team won the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) championship.
-    A win for Alabama State would give the Lady Hornets its first title in two attempts (loss to Jackson State in 2013).
-    Howard would set a new record for wins in a season with a win over ASU, surpassing its record of 13 from 2014.
-    Rasheeda Ansari will be unable to participate in the SWAC Championship due to red card accumulation. The senior forward received a red card in HU's match against Alabama State and was charged with a questionable red card Friday against Mississippi Valley State.