After a scoreless tie in the first half, Blinn scored first on a goal by Keegan Woolley, with assists from Felix Mesquita and Brook Williams. Coastal Bend scored twice in the last 15 minutes of the game – once on a penalty kick after a controversial foul was called against Blinn.
Blinn is now 4-4-1 on the season and 2-4 in conference play.
Assistant coach Rudy Roediger said Blinn almost pulled off the win, despite having to shift some players around because of injuries.
“I thought our defense played well tonight,” he said. “We outshot a nationally ranked team. We had some chances in the second half, but a last-ditch tackle prevented us from going up 2-0 and really changing the game.”
Roediger praised the play of Williams, Eric Embry, and Crispin Tshimanga.
“We’ve got some selfless players,” he said. “Eric played out of position tonight and put in a really good performance. Crispin played three different positions and caused the opposition some issues. Having Brook back is amazing. He’s come a long way back from an extended time off for injury.
“We’ve had to move some people around, but we’ve got some players who are sacrificing themselves and potential stats to help the team. When we come together in that regard, we have the tools to beat these teams.”
Blinn will travel Saturday to Paris Junior College for a 5:30 p.m. conference game. The Bucs host conference foe Northeast Texas Community College on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Rankin Field.
