BLINN MEN’S SOCCER EARNS A ROAD WIN OVER COASTAL BEND
(Story by Joe Alberico, Blinn College Sports Information)
The Blinn College men’s soccer team rallied for a 2-1 victory over Coastal Bend College on Monday in Beeville, Texas, earning a significant Region 14 win with just one regular-season game remaining.
The Buccaneers improved to 9-4-3 overall and 5-3-3 in Region 14 play with the victory. The win was just Blinn’s second road victory against Coastal Bend since the Bucs launched their soccer program in 2018.
“Today saw another slow start, but we had a very good response in the second half,” Blinn head coach Michael McBride said. “The work rate was excellent, and that hard work paid dividends. The team has shown resilience over the last two games, and we hope that’s a harbinger of things to come in the postseason. This was a huge win for us today.”
The matchup continued a trend in the series, as 11 of the 18 meetings between the teams have been decided by one goal.
The Cougars struck first with a goal in the seventh minute, but Blinn responded in the second half.
Sophomore defender Benji Minkette scored the equalizer in the 44th minute off an assist from freshman forward Arthur Santos on a corner kick. Freshman forward Greatiyke Nwosu then netted the go-ahead goal in the 77th minute, with freshman forward Vukasin Ivanovic and freshman midfielder Owen Muirhead earning assists.
Sophomore goalkeeper Samir Bristol played all 90 minutes and made two saves as Blinn held on for the win. Bristol improved to 8-2-2 on the season.
The Bucs recorded 16 shots, including eight on goal, and eight corner kicks while limiting Coastal Bend to four shots and four corner kicks.
Blinn concludes the regular season with a region home matchup against Texas Southmost College at 10 a.m. Friday at Rankin Field in Brenham, Texas. The Bucs will be playing for an opportunity to host a home match in the upcoming Gulf South District Tournament.
“We go into our final regular-season game playing for a home seed,” McBride said. “Three weeks ago, that was a pipe dream; on Friday, it could become a reality.”