The Blinn College men’s soccer team re-wrote several entries in its record book on Saturday.
The Buccaneers topped Paris Junior College 4-1 in the opening round of the Gulf South District Tournament, advancing to the semifinal round for the second time in program history.
The victory, which took place on the Dragons’ home pitch in Carthage, Texas, marked the second postseason triumph for the Blinn men since the start of the school’s soccer programs in 2018. The Bucs earned their first postseason win in 2022 at home, and made history with their first playoff road win by beating Paris. Blinn is now also 14-6 overall this fall, a new program record for victories. The Bucs won 13 games in 2022.
“The players faced plenty of adversity this evening, but they came away triumphant,” Blinn head coach Michael McBride said. “I’m really proud of how the players carried themselves throughout the match. Simply put, we get to play another game, and we don’t want the season to end.”
(Pictured: Blinn College sophomore forward Alvaro Heredia-Garcia)
The Bucs ensured their season would continue for at least one more match with a spirited effort against Paris.
Blinn took the lead for good in just the seventh minute of play and tacked on what would prove to be the game-winning goal in the 13th.
Sophomore midfielder Toby Lansdowne got the day started when he turned an assist from freshman forward Diego Ramos and sophomore defender Brandon Gasca into a 1-0 lead. Then, sophomore forward Alvaro Heredia-Garcia was aided by sophomore defender Elliott Hadley and sophomore midfielder Tom Hooper as he scored to make it a 2-0 Bucs cushion.
Paris’ Osvaldo Arellano scored in the 42nd minute to cut into the Blinn lead as the teams went into halftime separated by just one goal.
Blinn sophomore forward David Garcia would change that late in the match, however, when the program’s all-time-leading scorer gathered a feed from freshman defender Philipp Mokwa and buried it in the 82nd minute. Garcia’s tally – his 19th of the season and 35th of his career – will go down as the 300th goal scored by the Bucs in program history.
(Pictured: Blinn College sophomore forward David Garcia)
Sophomore midfielder Jay Hernandez capped the scoring for Blinn when he scored on a give from Mokwa and freshman midfielder Callum Ellington.
The Bucs finished the match with a 21-8 edge in shots, including 12 on goal, and had a 7-2 advantage in corner kicks.
In goal for Blinn was freshman Noah LeMaster, who made three saves across 90 minutes of play for his 14th victory of the year. LeMaster shattered the previous keeper wins record of 12 earlier this season
Up next, the Bucs take on seventh-ranked Angelina College in the semifinals beginning at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 1, in Lufkin, Texas.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 44 NJCAA national championships since 1987.?
