The Buccaneers improved to 11-6-2 overall and 7-5-1 in region play. The 11 victories tied a program record and give Blinn an opportunity to surpass that total when it hosts Coastal Bend College at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 22, at Hohlt Park’s Rankin Field in Brenham, Texas.
“The lads managed to come through a challenging day and secure a vital win,” Blinn head coach Michael McBride said. “This win sets us up for a huge home finale on Saturday as we close out the regular season.”
When the Buccaneers host Coastal Bend on Saturday, they will be playing for home-field advantage in the opening round of the Gulf South District Tournament.
Against the Cardinals on Wednesday, Blinn rallied out of an early 1-0 deficit to earn the blowout win.
After Trinity Valley scored in the third minute, Buccaneer sophomore midfielder Felix Mesquita set a program record with his 19th career assist when he fed freshman forward David Garcia for a goal in the 13th minute.
Mesquita is fourth in NJCAA Division I with 13 assists this season, while Garcia’s 14 goals not only rank sixth in the nation but also make him the first Blinn freshman to score double-digit goals in a season. Garcia is also just the second Buccaneer to reach double digits in goals in a season.
(Pictured: Blinn College freshman mforward David Garcia, 22, battles for the ball during a match against Tyler Junior College on Oct. 15)
In the 15th minute, Garcia scored again and gave Blinn the lead for good on assists from sophomore midfielders Cesar Cabrera and Joseph Boyce.
In the 26th minute, freshman midfielder Jay Herandez scored on assists from sophomore forward Kamille Kum and freshman midfielder Bryan Arevalo.
Freshman defender Koen Kok turned an assist from Mesquita into a 4-1 edge in the 36th minute. Freshman forward Joshua Hernandez-Gutierrez scored on a feed from Boyce and freshman defender Joe Loughnane in the 72nd minute, and the Bucs capped their scoring outburst when sophomore forward Anderson Micolta netted an assist from freshman midfielder Claudio Zavala-Gonzalez in the 90th.
(Pictured: Blinn College sophomore goalkeeper Kevin Pena fields the ball during a match against Tyler Junior College on Oct. 15)
Blinn sophomore goalkeeper Kevin Pena made three saves for the Bucs and earned his 10th win of the season. Freshman keepers Finn Rushton and Brandon Padilla made three saves apiece.
Pena’s 10 wins make him the first Buccaneer keeper to win 10 games in a season and break the previous record of nine he set last season. Pena is one of four keepers in NJCAA Division I with at least 10 wins this fall.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 42 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
