SOCCER: BUC WOMEN UPSET #13-LSU EUNICE, 1-0; BUC MEN FALL 4-2

Blinn women’s soccer upsets No. 13 LSU-Eunice, 1-0 

Lexington Kneedler scores goal in 73rd minute  

BRENHAM, Texas — The Blinn College women’s soccer team upset 13th-ranked Louisiana State University-Eunice, 1-0, at Cub Stadium Friday.

With the win, the Buccaneers improve to 4-2 overall and sealed their third shutout this season.

“We played with a lot of energy, togetherness, and had an unbelievable finish to win it,” head coach Michael McBride said. “Lexington Kneedler had the awareness to know the keeper was off the line just by a little bit and the technical execution of her goal was perfect. We defended well and it was a complete performance.”

Freshman midfielder Kneedler led the Buccaneers with three shots, two shots on goal, and one goal, while freshman midfielder Morgan Zachos recorded two shots. Sophomore goalkeeper Hope Hillhouse led Blinn with four saves.

“I feel like we fully dominated that game, kept the ball and moved it around a lot, so I am pretty proud about how we played,” Kneedler said. “It felt great to score and I feel like we deserved that goal after all of our hard work, so I am glad that I contributed to the game. We stayed positive throughout the game, communicated with each other, and we really figured it out at the end.”

Blinn and LSU-Eunice each used strong defenses to keep the game scoreless in the first half. Kneedler broke away in the 73rd minute to score the only goal of the game for Blinn to take a 1-0 lead for good.

“I think the key today was working as a group and the girls have bought into the fact that they have to work together as a team,” assistant coach Alexandria Jackson said. “We know the talent that Lexington has, and she has scored two goals in the last two games and is just getting started. LSU-Eunice gave us a great game, but we are believing in what we are doing, and I am happy as a coach.”

Blinn men’s soccer falls to No. 4 LSU-Eunice, 4-2 

Stefan Fevrier Sildor leads Blinn with five shots and one goal  

BRENHAM, Texas — The Blinn College men’s soccer team fell to No. 4 Louisiana State University-Eunice, 4-2, at Cub Stadium Friday night.

With loss, the Buccaneers are now 3-4 overall.

“This was the best we have played this season, so the result isn’t indicative of the 90 minutes, which is unfortunate,” head coach Michael McBride said. “I feel disappointed for the boys because they played with great togetherness and it was an exciting game to watch. We sort of let them off the hook when we were ahead 2-1, and LSU-Eunice is good for a reason, so they capitalized and managed to come back.”

Stefan Fevrier Sildor helped lead the offense with five shots, three shots on goal, and one goal. Brook Williams recorded one goal, while Cesar Cabrera tallied two assists. Goalkeeper Diego Berlingeri recorded six saves in the game.

“This game was a huge improvement from what we have seen so far this season and the guys showed a different level of heart, determination, and battle against a top-ranked team,” assistant coach Jacob Beerman said. “We started to believe in our ourselves tonight when we got our first and second goals. Every single game we are showing improvement and starting to work better as a team.”

The Buccaneers and Bengals were tied 1-1 at the break after LSU-Eunice scored in the 14th minute and Brook Williams scored for Blinn in the 18th minute.

The Buccaneers took a 2-1 lead in the second half when Stefan Fevrier Sildor scored in the 49th minute. However, the Bengals took back the momentum when they tied the game 2-2 in the 64th minute.

LSU-Eunice tacked on two more goals in the 74th and 76th minutes for the win.

Next, the Buccaneers will compete against Paris Junior College on Tuesday, April 27.  Women at 2 p.m., men at 4 p.m. on the road.

For more information, visit www.buccaneersports.com.