How Howard University is Building a Competitive HBCU Soccer Program -- and Winning

COURTESY HOWARD BISON ATHLETICS

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- While none of us remember our first steps, Dytria Ruddy has it on good authority that hers were followed not so long thereafter by her first attempts to kick a soccer ball.

Ruddy does recall one of the first games she played, more specifically when her mom stuck up for her after another parent complained about how many goals she scored. And she remembers the tournament when she was 10 or 11 years old in which the foul she committed gave the opposing team a penalty kick that decided the game. The mistake itself isn't a pleasant memory, but the run that her team made to reach the game lingers fondly.

Soccer has been a part of her life, helped shape her life, since she was 4 years old. But when Howard University next loses a game, either in this week's Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament in Alabama or the NCAA tournament beyond, Ruddy's competitive career will in all likelihood end with the final whistle. That doesn't mean she will leave the game -- or it her.

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