BLINN MEN’S SOCCER ADVANCES TO SEMIS WITH A WIN OVER NORTHEAST TEXAS

Story by Joe Alberico, Blinn College Sports Information

A flurry of first-half offense helped the eighth-ranked Blinn College men’s soccer team begin the postseason with a bang.

The Buccaneers scored three goals in the first 90 minutes of play en route to a 4-0 victory over Northeast Texas Community College in the opening round of the Gulf South District Tournament on Thursday at Rankin Field in Brenham, Texas.

Blinn (14-2-1) earned the fourth postseason win in program history and advanced to the tournament semifinals, where the top-seeded Bucs will face fourth-seeded Angelina College at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 4, at Rankin Field.

“The team managed to earn one more game; that’s the biggest takeaway from the evening,” Bucs head coach Michael McBride said. “Keeping another clean sheet and not picking up any injuries is a bonus.”

Blinn also tied its team record for victories in a season while setting a new single-season mark for shutouts with nine, and also increased its program-best winning streak to nine.

Right from the start, the Bucs were in control of the fourth-seeded Eagles.

Freshman forward played the role of poacher Shefe Odojukan when he got Blinn on the board in just the second minute of action. After the Northeast goalkeeper mishandled the ball in the box, Odojukan quickly made a move on the deflection and poked the ball into the net. Freshman forward Alan Kocmoud Navarro and freshman midfielder Paolo Imeneo assisted on the play.

Freshman forward Joseph Udedi later moved the game into blowout territory in a hurry with a pair of goals separated by just 68 seconds.

In the 25th minute, he put the finishing touches on a ball just past the Eagles keeper on an opportunity created by sophomore forward/defender Kayde Gielinck and sophomore defender/midfielder Geoff Ojango. 

Then in the 26th minute, Udedi outmaneuvered a Northeast defender in the open field and broke away from some physical defense to score an unassisted goal.

Sophomore midfielder Sam Sebagabo finished the scoring in the 89th minute when he punched in a goal off the combined assists of sophomore defender Alek Melo and freshman forward/defender Dominic Cupid.

Blinn finished the night with a 25-2 shot advantage and a 9-0 edge in corner kicks. 

Sophomore keeper Noah LeMaster and freshman Samir Bristol each played one half to preserve the shutout.

The Bucs now turn their attention to Angelina. Blinn split the regular-season series with the Roadrunners, with each team picking up a 2-0 result at home. The Bucs are looking to reach the Gulf South District Tournament championship match for the first time. 

Blinn or Angelina will face either No. 1 Tyler or No. 14 Coastal Bend in the title match Friday, Nov. 7.