The No. 10 Blinn College men's soccer team earned a 4-2 Region 14 victory over Northeast Texas Community College on Friday at Rankin Field in Brenham, Texas.
The Buccaneers improved to 3-2 overall and 2-1 in region play.
Blinn head coach Michael McBride said the Bucs were pleased to secure an important region victory while recognizing there is room to improve heading into their next match.
"We have to acknowledge that today's performance did not quite reach the standard we set in our last game," McBride said. "There were some areas where we can be sharper, but we remain grateful for the win. In this region, victories are hard-earned, so every win is valuable. Our focus now shifts immediately to Saturday's game, where we'll look to put together a more complete performance."
The Bucs opened Friday's scoring in the seventh minute when freshman midfielder Owen Muirhead sent a corner kick into the Northeast Texas box. Freshman defender Lobokola Enduki headed the ball back across the box to freshman defender Yiamxel Marino Vega, who headed it into the back of the Eagles' net.
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Blinn doubled its lead in the 23rd minute when sophomore forward Joseph Udedi and freshman midfielder Robbie Paredes teamed up to assist sophomore forward Nelson Andrade on his third goal of the season.
The Eagles cut into the Bucs' advantage on a penalty kick in the 27th minute, but Blinn carried a 2-1 lead into halftime.
The Bucs added to their lead when freshman forward Arthur Santos stole the ball from a Northeast Texas defender and fed sophomore forward Vukasin Ivanovic for his fourth goal of the season.
Sophomore forward Kayde Gielinck capped the scoring in the 65th minute with assists from freshman midfielder Victor Garcia and sophomore midfielder Mason Sorrels.
Blinn outshot the Eagles 18-2 and held a 5-0 advantage in corner kicks.
Sophomore goalkeeper Samir Bristol earned the win for the Bucs and improved to 3-2 on the season.
Blinn has now won 11 consecutive matches against Northeast Texas. The Bucs' last loss to the Eagles came on the road in 2019.
Next up for Blinn is another Region 14 home match against Paris Junior College at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Rankin Field.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 53 national championships since 1987.
