Arthur Santos
The No. 10 Blinn College men’s soccer team played Paris Junior College to a 2-2 draw in Region 14 competition Saturday at Rankin Field in Brenham.
The Buccaneers moved to 3-2-1 overall and 2-1-1 in region play following a match in which Blinn held advantages in shots and corner kicks but was unable to find a late go-ahead goal.
“A truly disappointing performance and an equally disappointing result,” Blinn head coach Michael McBride said. “We squandered some golden opportunities to win it in the last 10 minutes, but Paris’ goalkeeper also did a great job for them.”
Freshman forward Vukasin Ivanovic accounted for both Blinn goals, increasing his season total to six through six matches.
The Bucs struck early when Ivanovic found the back of the net in the sixth minute. Freshman midfielder Robbie Paredes beat his defender and found Ivanovic for an easy finish past the Dragons’ goalkeeper.
Paris answered in the 31st minute to even the score.
Blinn regained the lead in the 40th minute after midfielder Noah Schroder was taken down inside the penalty area, resulting in a penalty kick. Ivanovic stepped up and calmly sent his attempt into the back-right corner of the net for his second goal of the match.
The score marked Ivanovic’s second brace of the season.
Paris pulled even again in the 51st minute, and neither team was able to break the deadlock over the remainder of the contest.
The Bucs generated consistent offensive pressure throughout the match, finishing with a 22-15 advantage in shots and an 8-2 edge in corner kicks.
Sophomore goalkeeper Samir Bristol started for Blinn and made three saves in the opening 37 minutes. Freshman keeper Ian Aitboughima played the final 53 minutes and stopped five shots.
Despite the draw, Blinn extended its lengthy unbeaten streak against Paris. The Bucs have not lost to the Dragons since Sept. 18, 2018, Blinn’s inaugural season. Since that defeat, the Buccaneers are unbeaten in their past 13 matches against Paris, going 11-0-2 during that span.
McBride expects his team to quickly turn its attention toward its next opportunity.
“I expect a huge response from the team when we play on Thursday, which can’t come quickly enough,” McBride added.
Blinn takes a break from Region 14 play when it hosts Southwestern Christian College at 4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 10, at Rankin Field.
The Bucs will look to complete a season sweep of the Rams after earning a 4-0 road victory over Southwestern Christian on Aug. 21 in Terrell.