Three matches have never meant so much to the Blinn College women’s soccer team.?
The Buccaneers find themselves three victories away from a Region XIV South Division crown — a title that would be the first conference championship of any kind for the program.??
At 9-3 overall and 6-2 in Region XIV play, the Bucs already are enjoying a historic season in the just sixth year of women’s soccer at Blinn. The nine victories are a single-season program record, as are the six region triumphs (the previous marks were six and five, respectively). The Bucs also have set the program record for goals scored in a season with 67 netted by 18 different players.?
Now, upcoming matchups between Blinn and Angelina College, Texas Southmost College, and Jacksonville College could mean the difference between a playoff berth – of which the Bucs have tallied three since 2018 — and a coveted division crown. The pivotal stretch begins when the Bucs host Angelina at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 10, at Rankin Field in Brenham’s Hohlt Park. Blinn will then travel to face Texas Southmost on Oct. 17 before hosting Jacksonville on Oct. 20.
“This three-game stretch will be competitive, and any team can win each game,” Blinn head coach Alexandria Jackson said. “It’s important we treat this like a marathon and not a sprint. Winning the last three games will be the cherry on top of a record-breaking season and serve not only as a recognition of the players’ hard work, but as a true test of the great environment that Blinn provides for its student athletes.”
Jackson served as an assistant for the men’s and women’s program from 2019-21 before moving into the women’s head coaching position. Her first season at the helm in 2022 saw Blinn finish 6-10, but the Bucs also earned a postseason berth for a third consecutive year.
Eight players from the team returned this season with renewed focus and revamped goals.
“The sophomores that came back from 2022 wanted to make a difference and an impact, and that’s sort of become the fire that has driven us all season,” said sophomore defender Emma Orozco. “We returned wanting to be better than last year, but also take it one step further and be the top team in our division. I think that drive and the talent between the sophomore and freshman classes has really carried us so far.”
Included in Blinn’s strong win-loss record this season is a historic region road win over Angelina on Sept. 22. The victory was the first over the Roadrunners in program history and furthered the team’s case for the national spotlight. On Sept. 11, Blinn entered the “receiving votes” section of the NJCAA Division Top 20 poll for the first time, putting the Bucs on the verge of their first-ever national ranking.
(Pictured: Blinn College women’s soccer head coach Alexandria Jackson)
“It’s exciting to be right there on the cusp,” sophomore defender Avery Stansbury said. “You start the season with a specific goal the team wants to work toward – doing well, but also doing well to earn something. We want to be ranked, we want to win our division, we want to go further in the playoffs. I think now that we have it in our heads that we’re capable of it and almost there, we’re looking at this last stretch of games with the mindset of, ‘We have to get this done.'”
For Jackson, seeing the Bucs finish the regular season among the region’s best while securing a fourth playoff berth would be further affirmation of what has been a steady year-to-year climb for the program. While the Bucs may have their sights set on conference dominance and another trip to the playoffs right now, future plans include national tournament berths and a shot at an NJCAA championship, she said.
“Dating back to when I was an assistant, I would always tell our recruits, ‘It’s not a matter of if we’re going to be successful — it’s when,” Jackson said. “We feel like we’re finally starting to get to the level we believed we could reach, and we want to keep going. We want to compete with the high-level programs in the country; we want to be ranked and seen as one of the best teams in the NJCAA. Then we want to go to the national tournament, compete, and win a championship. Those are the sort of goals we have in mind. I truly believe the progress we’ve made is a huge step in that direction.”
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 44 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
