DALLAS, Texas — Blinn College men's soccer (0-1) dropped the season opener to Richland College, 5-1, on Sunday.

"We went toe-to-toe with the reigning national champions for the first 60 minutes and I am pleased with how we played today," said Michael McBride, Blinn head coach. "It was nice to play against a team as good as Richland is to see what we need to work on. We scored a goal and were competitive against them, so I was proud of how the boys carried themselves throughout the game."

Stefan Fevrier Sildor scored Blinn's only goal in the match in the 57th minute, while JT McCoy recorded eight saves.

In the first half, the Buccaneers came close to striking first as Zane Marshall broke away for a shot on goal that hit the post.

The game remained scoreless until the second half when Richland landed on the board in the 50th minute, then scored again in the 53rd minute to lead 2-0.

Fevrier Sildor's goal allowed Blinn to cut Richland's lead in half. However, the Thunderducks gained the momentum back after scoring on a penalty in the 71st minute. Richland scored its final two goals in the 76th and 84th minutes.  

Next, the Buccaneers will open conference play on the road against Angelina College on Saturday, August 31, at 5 p.m. The women's team will open the doubleheader against the Roadrunners at 3 p.m.

Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 41 NJCAA national championships since 1987.