Blinn College women’s soccer didn’t waste much time putting its season-opening loss in the rearview mirror.

The Buccaneers erupted for 12 goals Saturday, rolling past North American University 12-3 in their home opener at Hohlt Park in Brenham and picking up their first victory of the season.

Blinn improved to 1-1 while overwhelming North American offensively with a 34-8 advantage in shots.

Early Deficit Sparks Blinn Offense

North American actually landed the first punch, scoring early to put the Buccaneers behind. The lead didn’t last long.

Sophomore midfielder Taylor Bull evened the match in the 10th minute and struck again less than a minute later, quickly turning a Blinn deficit into a 2-1 lead.

From there, the Buccaneers kept coming.

Sophomore midfielder Kaelynn Pablo and freshman forward Chelsea Mentado each scored in the 18th minute, stretching Blinn’s advantage to 4-1.

North American briefly slowed the momentum with a goal in the 29th minute, but sophomore Lilly Arellano answered just one minute later to restore Blinn’s three-goal cushion.

NAU scored once more in the 40th minute, trimming the Buccaneers’ lead to 5-3 heading into halftime and keeping the match within reach.

That changed quickly in the second half.

Seven Unanswered Goals Put Match Away

Blinn came out of the break and took complete control, shutting out North American over the final 45 minutes while piling on seven unanswered goals.

Freshman forward Amanda Millar started the second-half surge with a goal in the 50th minute, giving Blinn a 6-3 advantage.

The Buccaneers never looked back.

Freshman forward Vianney Adame scored back-to-back goals, while sophomore forward Khadeeja Rhoden added two of her own. Mentado scored twice more to finish the match with a hat trick, and sophomore midfielder Saya Shiratsuki joined the scoring as Blinn turned what had been a two-goal halftime lead into a 12-3 rout.

The offensive production was spread throughout the Blinn lineup. Mentado led the way with three goals, while Bull, Adame and Rhoden each scored twice. Pablo, Arellano, Millar and Shiratsuki also contributed goals.

Sophomore goalkeeper Reese Cauthen made two saves as the Buccaneers held North American scoreless throughout the second half.

The victory gave Blinn an immediate rebound from its 3-1 loss to Butler Community College in Thursday’s season opener and provided some momentum heading into conference competition.

Region 14 Play Up Next

The Buccaneers will face a much different challenge in their next outing.

Blinn opens Region 14 play Friday, Aug. 28, against No. 6 Tyler Junior College. The match is scheduled for noon in Tyler.

Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and has captured 53 national championships since 1987.