BLINN MEN’S SOCCER PLAYS ANGELINA TO A 2-2 TIE

Story by Joe Alberico, Blinn College Sports Information

Blinn College men’s soccer battled Angelina College to a thrilling 2-2 draw Tuesday at Rankin Field in Brenham, Texas.

The Buccaneers overcame one-goal deficits twice, scoring both of their tallies in the second half to earn a point in the Region 14 matchup. The draw moved Blinn to 4-2-2 overall and 2-1-2 in Region 14 play.

“The match lived up to its billing as an intensely competitive match,” Blinn head coach Michael McBride said. “While this was arguably our strongest performance of the season, we ultimately fell just short of securing the win. I felt our second-half display was more than enough to earn the victory, but it simply wasn't our night in front of the goal.”

Angelina struck first just 4:43 into the match, but Blinn answered in the 68th minute when sophomore midfielder Jordan Franco found the back of the net off an assist from freshman midfielder Noah Schroder.

The Roadrunners regained the lead in the 79th minute before Blinn responded with one of its most spectacular goals of the season.

In the 89th minute, sophomore midfielder Paolo Imeneo fielded the ball near the top-left corner of the Angelina box and sent a pass toward freshman forward Robbie Paredes near the top-middle of the penalty area. Paredes collected the ball with an Angelina defender in his face and used some nifty footwork to work around the defender in a one-on-one situation. Paredes then roped a no-look shot around his defender and past the diving Angelina goalkeeper to pull the Bucs even at 2-2.

Schroder provided the first assist on the goal, before Imeneo provided the finishing pass.

Blinn controlled much of the match offensively, finishing with a 24-7 advantage in shots and an overwhelming 17-1 edge in corner kicks. The Bucs outshot Angelina 15-4 in the second half, while both teams finished with five shots on goal.

Samir Bristol played all 90 minutes in goal for Blinn and made three saves. He improved to 3-1-1 overall this season.

Blinn's 24 shots included five shots on goal, while Angelina goalkeeper Harrison Bond also made three saves.

McBride said he has seen significant progress from the Bucs since the start of season.

“The team is making significant strides; there has been a marked improvement across the board since day one,” McBride explained. “The lads are getting better. We still have a long way to go, but I believe we are in the ascendancy.”

Blinn will return to action at 6 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 20, at Southwestern Adventist University in Keene, Texas.