LATE GOALS SEND NO. 12 LSU-EUNICE PAST BLINN IN DISTRICT TOURNAMENT

A flurry of late-match goals spelled the end of the Blinn College men’s soccer team’s season Friday, as No. 12 Louisiana State University-Eunice edged the Buccaneers, 2-1, in the opening round of the NJCAA Gulf South District Tournament in Eunice.

“It was a game of very few chances,” third-year Blinn head coach Michael McBride said. “But we took it down to the wire against a very good LSU-Eunice team, and I’m proud of the men for that.”

Buccaneer goalkeeper Cristo Gayoso kept the Bengals scoreless until the hosts broke up a scoreless tie with a goal on a penalty kick in the 68th minute.

LSU-Eunice added an insurance goal with 45 seconds to play, and Blinn got itself on the board when Felix Mesquita and Stefan Fevrier Sildor set up Kamille Kum for a goal with 17 seconds remaining.

“Despite the result, it was a very good performance; a very disciplined performance,” McBride added. “There were a couple of big decisions that went against us, but we controlled what we could control, and I was very pleased.”

LSU-Eunice out-shot the Buccaneers 7-6. Gayoso made four saves in goal.

Blinn finished its season at 11-7-2 overall and set a program record for single-season victories.

Both the Blinn men’s and women’s soccer programs are in just their fourth year of existence and reached the playoffs this season. Mirroring his comments following the women’s first-round playoff loss to Navarro on Thursday, the coach said the future is bright for the men’s team.

“The team matured a lot this year, and we’ve seen a lot of growth and maturity,” McBride said. “We’ve established ourselves as a team that doesn’t roll over, and I believe we are a worthy adversary.

“The men who played their last match as a Buccaneer today did a really good job of getting us to that level.”

(Story courtesy Joe Alberico, Sports Information Specialist)