A hat trick for Blinn College sophomore David Garcia paved the way for the Buccaneers’ Region XIV shutout of Texas Southmost College on Friday at Rankin Field inside Hohlt Park in Brenham, Texas.
Garcia scored all three goals as Blinn earned a 3-0 victory over the Scorpions.
Blinn improved to 10-4 overall and 4-3 in region play. The Buccaneers have won at least 10 games in three consecutive seasons and achieved double-digit wins for the fourth time since the program launched in 2018.
“We needed a win tonight and we got a win,” Blinn head coach Michael McBride said. “To come away with a clean sheet was a bonus.”
The shutout victory was highlighted by Garcia, whose three scores marked the 10th hat trick in team history and pushed the forward’s career total to 31 goals. Garcia is Blinn’s all-time goal scorer and his 15 tallies this season are three shy of the Bucs’ single-season record. He is the first player in program history to tally double-digit goals in back-to-back campaigns.
(Pictured: Blinn sophomore forward David Garcia)
Sophomores Flynn Toon (defender) and Alvaro Heredia-Garcia (forward) paired up to assist Garcia on his first goal in the seventh minute of play. In the 62nd minute, sophomore midfielder Toby Lansdowne and freshman midfielder Callum Ellington generated an opportunity for Garcia as he made it 2-0 with a header. Garcia completed his feat when he fielded a throw-in from freshman defender Na’el Shalabi and, with 0.03 seconds remaining, fired it through the legs of the Texas Southmost goalkeeper.
The Bucs outshot the Scorpions 29-8 and held a 5-2 advantage in corner kicks.
Freshman keeper Noah LeMaster produced a 90-minute shutout aided by six saves.
Next up for Blinn is a region road tilt at Jacksonville College scheduled for 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 3, in Jacksonville, Texas.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 44 NJCAA national championships since 1987.?
