BLINN MEN’S SOCCER DEFEATS TEXAS SOUTHMOST 2-0
Story by Joe Alberico, Blinn College Sports Information
The eighth-ranked Blinn College team concluded its regular-season with a bang Friday.
The Buccaneers earned a 2-0 Region 14 shutout of Texas Southmost College in Brownsville, Texas, completing a season sweep of the Scorpions while pushing their program-best winning streak to eight.
“The team met adversity head on today and found a way to come through it,” Blinn head coach Michael McBride said. “It was a very difficult game for many reasons and arguably one of the biggest wins of the season. I’m so incredibly proud of this team.”
The Bucs also reinforced their growing case for an at-large bid in the NJCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Championship tournament. A berth in the tournament would be a first for the Bucs since Blinn launched men’s and women’s soccer in 2018.
The Bucs are 13-2-1 overall, and finished region play with a 10-2 mark, also a program record. Blinn is just shy of tying its season-high win total, which it accomplished in 2023 (14-7). The 10 region victories are also a program record.
The Bucs scored once in each half, starting with a goal from sophomore defender Alek Melo in the sixth minute of play. The goal was a product of an unlikely chain of events, as freshman forward Alan Kocmoud Navarro fielded a pass from sophomore goalkeeper Noah LeMaster to restart play. Kocmoud Navarro gathered the ball and crossed it to Melo, who finished the sequence near the top of the box on a shot past the Southmost keeper.
Blinn padded its lead on an almost identical play in the 63rd minute.
LeMaster again restarted play with a kick into the Scorpions’ side of the field. Freshman forward Joseph Udedi chased down the ball, moved into Southmost’s final third, and crossed a pass to defender Nicholas Rodriguez. The sophomore met the ball inside the box and scooted a shot past a sliding Scorpions defender to close out the scoring.
The Bucs out-shot Southmost 16-6, with an 8-4 advantage in shots on goal. Blinn also earned a 6-3 edge in corner kicks.
After battling a handful of injuries, LeMaster was in goal for the first time since Sept. 27. His four saves helped him earn his fourth shutout of the season and improved his record to 8-2-1. With 22 wins and 11 shutouts across two seasons with the Bucs (2023 and 2025), LeMaster now holds Blinn’s career records in both categories.
As a team, the Bucs have eight shutout wins this fall, tying another program record.
Blinn will now have an opportunity to either punch a direct ticket to the national tournament – or at the very least fortify its chances at an at-large bid – when it opens play in the Gulf South District Tournament at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 30. The Bucs will host Northeast Texas Community College at Rankin Field in Brenham, Texas. Blinn defeated the Eagles 3-0 on the road on Sept. 5.
The winner of the tournament automatically qualifies for nationals.