BLINN WOMEN’S SOCCER SHUTS OUT NO. 16 HILL FOR SEASON-OPENING HOME WIN
Sophomores Rebecca Madria and Marguerite Funk scored goals for the Buccaneers
The Blinn College women’s soccer team found the perfect way to start its season.
Stifling defense and a second-half offensive breakthrough paved the way to the Buccaneers’ 2-0 non-region victory over No. 16 Hill College on Friday at Rankin Field in Brenham, Texas.
The victory was the first of its kind for Blinn, which defeated a ranked opponent to start a season for the first time in program history.
“A few seasons ago, we might have gone into a match like this one against a ranked team and been scared or intimidated,” Bucs head coach Alexandria Jackson said. “This program has grown and advanced to the point where we’re no longer scared to compete against the best teams in the nation. Tonight,, we saw a young team go out and compete and enjoy the game of football, and I think the result reflected that.”
A strong defensive effort led by sophomore center back Ashlee Rodriguez and cemented by freshman goalkeepers Mia King and Haidlyn Hawkins kept the Rebels at bay for 90 minutes while Blinn gathered its offensive footing.
King played the first half and recorded three saves while Hawkins tallied two saves across the final 45 minutes.
A scoreless tie ended in the second half (54th minute) when sophomore midfielder Rebecca Madrid fielded a corner kick from freshman midfielder Taylor Bull near the top-right corner of the box and fired an untouched shot into the back-left corner of the Hill net.
Bull dished out another assist in the 75th minute when she placed a perfect ball into the box for midfielder Marguerite Funk. The sophomore gathered the pass and rifled a shot past the diving Rebels keeper to close out the scoring.
“To have Rebecca and Marguerite land on the scoresheet tonight was great to see,” Jackson added. “Those are two players who have provided veteran leadership and have bought into what we’re trying to accomplish as a program.”
The Bucs peppered Hill with 21 shots while limiting the Rebels to just six.
“Once we settled down and played our style of football, which was possession-oriented, we were able to start rolling a bit,” Jackson said. “On the defensive side, we were a physical presence and didn’t shy away from a tackle or going shoulder-to-shoulder. I was really proud of our group across the board and look forward to seeing how we grow and build from this result.”
Up next, Blinn hosts Houstonians FC at 11 a.m. on Sunday at Rankin Field.
Story Courtesy of:
Joe Alberico
Blinn Sports Information Specialist