BLINN MEN’S SOCCER BEGINS NEW SEASON THIS (THURSDAY) AFTERNOON
After making program history in 2022, the Blinn College men's soccer team is primed and ready to make a little more.
The Buccaneers will get their chance beginning with a season-opening road tilt against the University of Arkansas Rich Mountain at 1 p.m. today (Thursday), in Mena, Arkansas.
Eleven returning sophomores and one second-year transfer will team with 22 freshmen as the Buccaneers look to build on a historic 2022 season that saw Blinn post a program-record 13 victories and capture its first playoff victory.
Region XIV is expected to remain one of the toughest conferences in the country this fall, even as it breaks into North and South Divisions for the 2023 campaign. Blinn will compete in the South with Angelina College, Coastal Bend College, Jacksonville College, and new NJCAA competitor Texas Southmost College. Tyler Junior College, Paris Junior College, Trinity Valley Community College, and Northeast Texas Community College make up the North.
The Bucs will face each North team once this season while battling each of its South foes twice – once at home and once on the road.
"Technically, we haven't been to a national tournament, but a number of our region games have felt like national tournament games," fifth-year head coach Michael McBride said. "It seems like we send a club from our region to nationals every year. We've sent as many as three teams in our region to the national tournament in a single season, and when only 12 make it each year, to have 25% of the field come from your region, I think that's a testament to the quality of this conference."
Eight of Blinn's 13 victories one year ago came against Region XIV opponents as the Bucs posted an 8-5-1 conference mark. Blinn finished third in the region and advanced to the Gulf South District Tournament for the fifth time in five years as an NJCAA program. The Bucs hosted their first-round matchup against Jacksonville College and earned a thrilling 1-0 overtime victory to advance in the postseason for the first time. Blinn ultimately ended its run in with a semifinal loss to Tyler.
"There isn't any pressure to match what we did last season, but there's definitely a sense of urgency and eagerness to get back to the playoffs and continue what we started," sophomore forward David Garcia said. "I think we all feel ready to make it where we need to be as a program, and that's the national tournament. I think we all know we have the team to do it."
Sophomore defender Brandon Gasca said Blinn's wealth of experience should drive the Buccaneers forward as they look to navigate their revamped region.
"I think the guys returning from last year have a hunger to go further than we did last year, win the regional tournament, and go compete for a national championship," Gasca said. "This team is confident in what we're doing, and we know we have to keep working hard on and off the field to achieve our goals."
With Blinn's experience comes a wealth of production.
At the top is Garcia, who fell one goal shy of the team's single-season goals record with a team-best 16 in 2022, and one point shy of the single-season record with 35. Garcia also had a team-high 40 shots on goal. Sophomore defender Joe Loughnane returns after dishing out nine assists as a freshman, while sophomore forward Toby Lansdowne also returns following a six-assist campaign last fall.
Defensively, Blinn lost goalkeeper Kevin Pena to graduation and has since recruited three freshman netminders — Noah LeMaster, Alex Discua, and Josh ffrench-Adam – who will compete for time in goal.
Additionally, both the Buccaneer men's and women's soccer programs were the recipients of 10 athletic scholarships this spring, allowing the teams to cast a wider net during recruitment.?
McBride got to see his reassembled team in action for the first time during a scrimmage against Global Football Innovation Academy on Aug. 11.
"We recently played a scrimmage and everybody on our roster had playing time, which was important not only for their development but also for us as coaches as we try to determine our lineups," McBride explained. "It was a night of opportunity, and there were a lot of good things on display that left us optimistic for the start of the season."
The Bucs won the scrimmage 5-2.
Following its season opener, Blinn will face Hill College on the road on Saturday, Aug. 19, before hosting Crush FC at home at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 22, at Rankin Field at Hohlt Park in Brenham. The Bucs will play 12 Region XIV matches, beginning with a region home tilt against Northeast Texas Community College at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 3. Blinn will play all four of its North Division opponents consecutively before facing its first South opponent — Angelina — on the road on Friday, Sept. 22.
"I'm excited to see how everything comes together between our sophomores and our freshmen," McBride added. "You never know how things will play out until the men go out and put it on the field, but we're certainly excited about these lads and their potential."
(Story by Joe Alberico, Blinn College Sports Information)