BLINN MEN’S SOCCER BLANKS NORTHEAST TEXAS IN REGION XIV SOUTH OPENER

The Buccaneers matched and broke program records during the 5-0 victory

The Blinn College men’s soccer team shut out Northeast Texas Community College in Region XIV South play Friday at Rankin Field inside Hohlt Park in Brenham, Texas. 

The Buccaneers’ 5-0 victory was their sixth consecutive win, matching the men’s program record.  

“Tonight was a good, disciplined performance and a great result,” Blinn head coach Michael McBride said. “The team worked hard for the clean sheet, and it really was the icing on the cake.” 

The Bucs are now 7-1 overall and 1-0 in the South. 

“There’s no time to celebrate, though,” McBride added. “because we only have 17 hours until we kick off away at Tyler Junior College.” 

Sophomore David Garcia also etched his name in program history with his seventh goal of the season. When the forward from El Paso, Texas, opened the scoring with a header in the 18th minute, he became Blinn men’s soccer’s all-time goal scorer with 23 in two seasons as a Buc. Sophomore forward Joe Loughnane assisted on historic tally with a free kick that went Garcia’s direction. Garcia passed previous record holders Stefan Fevrier-Sildor and Ferit Ha, who each recorded 22 goals during their time at Blinn. 

Blinn padded its lead with two more goals in the first half and a pair after the intermission. 

Freshman midfielder Diego Ramos scored just seconds into the 22nd minute on a give from freshman midfielder Mathew Williams and freshman defender Philipp Mokwa. The lead grew to 3-0 when Mokwa scored on an assist from sophomore midfielder Joshua Hernandez-Gutierrez in the 29th minute. 

After the break, Loughnane found the net in the 70th minute with the help of Ramos and sophomore midfielder Toby Lansdowne. Freshman forward Cesar Duran capped the scoring with an unassisted goal in the 71st minute. 

The Bucs outshot the Eagles 20-4 and owned a 4-1 edge in corner kicks. 

Defensively, freshman goalkeeper Noah LeMaster made two saves in 90 minutes of play. He earned his seventh victory of the season, making him the second winningest keeper in Blinn men’s soccer history. He trails only Kevin Pena, who recorded 12 victories in two seasons (2021-22). His win total also leads all NJCAA Division I keepers. 

Blinn gets right back to work with its region road trip to Tyler. The Apaches are ranked 10th in the nation. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 9, in Tyler, Texas.