In a first-of-its-kind second for HBCU athletics, Hampton College and Howard College will carry their long-standing rivalry to an expert soccer pitch on Sunday, August 17, 2025, at 3:00 p.m. as they face off within the inaugural HBCU Girls’s Soccer Invitational at Audi Discipline in Washington, D.C.
Audi Discipline is not any abnormal venue. It’s residence to D.C. United of Main League Soccer (MLS), the Washington Spirit of the Nationwide Girls’s Soccer League (NWSL), and DC Energy FC of the USL Tremendous League. Making it one of many premier venues in American soccer. Now, for one historic afternoon, it turns into the stage for HBCU ladies’s soccer to shine.
A Historic First for HBCU Soccer
The rivalry between Hampton and Howard is among the most storied in HBCU sports activities. From the hardwood to the gridiron, these faculties have gone head-to-head for many years. The soccer groups already conflict yearly at Audi Discipline within the Fact and Service Traditional. However this time, it’s HBCU ladies’s soccer taking middle stage.
“This inaugural invitational displays our dedication to rising the sport and fostering fairness in sports activities,” mentioned Danita Johnson, President of Enterprise Operations for D.C. United. “At Audi Discipline, we’re proud to help a future the place younger ladies, notably from HBCUs, can see themselves competing and thriving on the skilled degree.”
This match is greater than only a soccer sport. It’s a cultural assertion. It’s a highlight second for applications that should be seen and celebrated.
Howard’s Championship Pedigree
The Bison had a powerful 2024 season, ending with an 11-5-5 file and capturing the Northeast Convention title. That success earned them a spot within the NCAA Event, the place they fell to Duke within the opening spherical.
Nonetheless, their rise didn’t go unnoticed.
“Our ladies’s soccer staff, recent off a Northeast Convention championship, represents the expertise, willpower, and legacy that outline Howard College,” mentioned Kery Davis, Howard’s Vice President of Athletics. “This matchup is a celebration of Black excellence in collegiate athletics.”
Head coach Brent Leiba, who earned NEC Coach of the 12 months honors, believes the stage couldn’t be extra excellent.
“Going through Hampton this August is a robust second for HBCU ladies’s soccer,” Leiba mentioned. “These video games matter, not only for the athletes on the sector, however for the visibility and development of girls’s soccer throughout our communities—particularly in communities who see themselves in our gamers.”
Hampton’s Second to Rise
Whereas Howard brings the {hardware}, Hampton College brings starvation and ambition. Final season, the Pirates battled Howard to a scoreless attract Norfolk. With a stable basis and improved roster, they’re able to make noise in 2025.
“It is a historic second for Hampton College ladies’s soccer and our complete athletics program,” mentioned Anthony D. Henderson Sr., Hampton’s Director of Athletics. “Taking part in at Audi Discipline not solely showcases the expansion and potential of our student-athletes, but additionally displays our dedication to offering them with elite experiences.”
“With Howard coming off a fantastic season and us making vital strides as a program,” added Head Coach Scot Vorwold, “enjoying at Audi Discipline can be an unforgettable expertise for each groups and a strong step ahead for HBCU ladies’s soccer.”
Constructing a Pathway to Professional
The match isn’t simply symbolic—it’s strategic. DC Energy FC, which not too long ago wrapped its first USL Tremendous League season, is making a pipeline to skilled soccer. The membership plans to carry a joint coaching session with the Invitational’s successful staff in Spring 2026.
Much more impactful, an upperclassman participant will obtain a trial alternative to coach with the staff throughout the 2025–2026 season.
“We’re working carefully with the HBCU Girls’s Soccer Invitational individuals,” mentioned Jordan Stuart, DC Energy FC President. “We’ll additionally host an occasion highlighting ladies leaders who join the HBCU and professional soccer worlds.”
Girls’s Soccer and HBCUs on the Rise
The timing couldn’t be higher. Girls’s sports activities are experiencing record-breaking viewership, attendance, and funding. From World Cup pleasure to sold-out stadiums, the ladies’s sport is prospering.
Occasions just like the HBCU Girls’s Soccer Invitational be sure that HBCU applications and athletes aren’t neglected of this historic development.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Hampton and Howard to Audi Discipline for what guarantees to be a milestone second for HBCU ladies’s soccer,” mentioned Janine Brunson-Johnson, Senior Director of Occasions & Leisure at D.C. United.
Remaining Whistle
Hampton vs. Howard is greater than a rivalry. It’s a logo of progress for HBCU ladies’s soccer. When the ball drops at Audi Discipline this August, it received’t simply be a sport—it’ll be a second, a motion, and a message.
