BLINN MEN’S SOCCER CLINCHES REGION 14 SOUTH TITLE WITH WIN OVER LSU-EUNICE
Story by Joe Alberico, Blinn College Sports Information
If there was ever a moment for the Blinn College men's soccer to rise to the occasion, this was it.
The ninth-ranked Buccaneers did just that.
With the Region 14 South regular-season title on the line, Blinn answered the call Friday night with a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Louisiana State University-Eunice at Rankin Field in Brenham, Texas.
The division crown was the Buccaneers' first since the program's launch in 2018, and their first region championship of any kind.
"The air was thick with emotion this evening, and the game itself was a battle from start to finish," Blinn head coach Michael McBride said. "We didn't play our best game; the gravity of the division championship contest shook us out of our rhythm at times. Yet, when tested, this team refused to break. They battled with grit and found the tenacity to claw their way over the finish line. I couldn't be prouder of them."
The Bucs earned a season sweep of the Bengals behind their fourth consecutive shutout (seventh overall). Blinn also pushed its winning streak to seven matches and improved to 12-2-1 overall and 9-2 in region play.
For almost 66 minutes, LSU-Eunice did its best to keep the Bucs' celebration on ice. That effort ultimately proved futile, however, as freshman forward Shefe Odojukan broke through for Blinn to give his team all the offense it would need.
After sophomore midfielder/defender Joe Coyle found fellow sophomore defender/midfielder Geoff Ojango in space down the far sideline, Ojango gathered the ball and looped a perfect pass to Odojukan inside the LSU-Eunice box. Odojukan did the rest, capping the play with a perfect header past the Bengal goalkeeper.
In the 77th minute, sophomore defender/forward Kayde Gielinck put the finishing touches on the victory when his heads-up play turned into a two-goal lead.
After sophomore forward Amir Simpon fired a shot at the LSU-Eunice goal, the Bengals keeper made a diving save and deflected the ball back into the field of play. Gielinck was waiting, however, and collected the rebound before quickly launching a shot into the net.
Simpson and sophomore midfielder Nawfal Hadj-Hamou were credited with assists on the play.
The Bucs ended their night with a 15-4 advantage in shots, including 10 on goal. Blinn also earned a 9-3 edge in corner kicks.
Freshman keeper Samir Bristol continued his strong start to his collegiate career with his fourth consecutive shutout. He improved to 5-0 on the year.
With one game remaining in the regular season, the Bucs have sewn up home field advantage for the opening round of the upcoming Gulf South District Tournament. Blinn will visit Texas Southmost College in both teams' region finale at 12:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 24, in Brownsville, Texas.