Buccaneers power past Paris Junior College for first Region XIV win

The Blinn College women's soccer team scored six second-half goals en route to a 6-2 Region XIV home win over Paris Junior College on Saturday at Hohlt Park's Rankin Field in Brenham, Texas.

The Buccaneers improved to 2-0 and 1-0 in region play.

All eight goals in Saturday's match came after halftime, with Paris opening the scoring in the 53rd minute of play. The Buccaneers responded in the 54th minute with a goal from sophomore defender Jordan Bell (assisted by freshman midfielder Chloe Hood on a free kick).

From there, Blinn took control with a smothering offensive attack, which led to an 11-2 shot advantage over the Dragons. 

"We started off slow and made a lot of mistakes early, which led to Paris' first goal," Blinn head coach Alexandria Jackson said. "Our players showed a lot of grit and perseverance to come back from that deficit and win the game."

(Pictured: Blinn College's Bailey Edwards, center-right, battles for the ball against Paris Junior College on Saturday)

In the 58th minute, freshman defender Bailey Edwards found the net on an unassisted goal, and the Bucs built on their lead in the 62nd minute when freshman forward took a feed from fellow freshman forward Ella Black and turned it into a 3-1 advantage.

Cruz and Black connected again when Black assisted Cruz's goal in the 70th minute.

Paris got back on the board and made it a 4-2 game in the 77th minute, but freshman midfielder Brianna Hoffman put the game away when she scored twice — in the 82nd and 85th minutes — on assists from freshman midfielder Jasmin West and Edwards, respectively. 

Freshman goalkeeper Sydney Gibbs was in net for the Bucs and earned the win.

"I'm happy we stayed undefeated," Jackson added. " … but we will look to improve defensively against a very good Northeast Texas Community College team."

Blinn plays host to Northeast Texas for a region tilt beginning at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 7, at Rankin Field. The Buccaneer men's soccer team will face Northeast Texas following the conclusion of the women's match.