BUCCANEER MEN SHUTOUT TEXAS SOUTHMOST FOR REGION XIV WIN
Blinn College men's soccer cruised to a 3-0 Region XIV road victory over Texas Southmost College on Tuesday in Brownsville, Texas.
Three Buccaneers scored goals for Blinn as the team improved to 12-6 overall and 6-5 in the region standings.
"The lads were tremendous in a very challenging environment today," Blinn head coach Michael McBride said. "They worked incredibly hard again and remained thoroughly disciplined throughout. It was a great win on the road for us."
A large and inspired crowd of both pro-Blinn and pro-Southmost supporters filled the stands in Brownsville, and the Bucs thrived in the spirited environment.
Sophomore defender Brandon Gasca got Blinn on the board when, in the 26th minute, he turned an assist from sophomore defender Flynn Toon and freshman forward Cesar Duran into a goal. The play was set up by a corner kick.
After the teams went into halftime separated by the lone first-half tally, sophomore forward David Garcia gave Blinn a bit of breathing room with a record-setting goal. In the 60th minute, Garcia collected a feed from sophomore midfielders Joshua Hernandez-Gutierrez and Toby Lansdowne and buried it. The goal was Garcia's 18th of the season, a new single-season record for the Bucs. With 18 goals and six assists this fall, Garcia is tied for the NJCAA Division I lead in goals scored and leads all players with 42 total points.
Toon capped the scoring in the 87th minute with help from freshman defender Philipp Mokwa.
Blinn owned a 19-9 advantage in shots and a 7-5 edge in corner kicks.
Freshman goalkeeper Noah LeMaster helped preserve the shutout with five saves in 90 minutes of play. His 12 victories in goal are tied for Blinn's single-season record and lead all NJCAA Division I netminders.
Blinn will play its regular-season and Region XIV finale against Jacksonville College at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 20, at Rankin Field inside Hohlt Park in Brenham, Texas.
(Story by Joe Alberico, Blinn College Sports Information)