BLINN WOMEN’S SOCCER LANDS FOUR ON THE ALL-REGION TEAM
Story by Joe Alberico, Blinn College Sports Information
Region 14 recognized four Blinn College women’s soccer players with all-region accolades Wednesday.
Sophomore forward Marguerite Funk, sophomore defender Ashlee Rodriguez, and freshman goalkeeper Haidlyn Hawkins landed on the all-region second team list, while freshman midfielder Chloey Mejia was an honorable mention.
The quartet of Buccaneers helped Blinn to a 9-3-3 overall record, a 7-3-2 mark and second-place finish in the Region 14 South division, and a trip to the Region 14 Tournament. Blinn played No. 14 Tyler Junior College to a 1-1 tie before falling 4-2 in penalty kicks.
Funk finished with a team-high nine goals (three game winners), which also tied the Bucs’ single-season record. She added five assists to finish with 23 points for the season. She scored a season-best two goals in a 6-1 victory over Jacksonville College on Aug. 30.
Rodriguez was a key cog in a strong Blinn back line that helped the Bucs defense allow just 0.80 goals and 7.2 shots per match. Her efforts contributed to six shutouts. She also added one goal and one assist.
Hawkins emerged as Blinn’s starting keeper early in the season and excelled. She finished with a 5-3-3 record with four shutouts while making 78 saves against just eight goals allowed. She posted a 0.76 goals against average and a 90.7% save rate. She allowed zero goals in six of her 12 matches played. On Aug. 28, in just her second start of the season, Hawkins recorded a robust 24 saves against 25 shots as Blinn earned the first result against then-No. 6 Tyler in program history with a 1-1 tie.
Mejia’s first season as a Buc saw her give Blinn’s offense a boost to the tune of three goals – including one game winner – and four assists for 10 points. Her final goal of the season was quite possibly the most memorable moment of the season. In the Bucs’ region tournament tilt against Tyler, the Bucs trailed 1-0 with late when a foul in the Apaches’ third awarded Blinn a free kick with 12 seconds remaining. Mejia fired a line-drive shot and buried it to tie the match and force overtime.