RIVERDALE, N.Y. - Two first-half goals and strong defensive play throughout the second half proved to be enough as the La Salle men's soccer team earned a 2-0 road shutout over Manhattan at Gaelic Park on Friday. The victory moves the Explorers to 2-0-1 on the season, the program's best three-game stretch to start a season since 2012 (3-0-0).

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The road team opened the scoring early in the first half, as sophomore Evan Watt cashed in a pass from redshirt senior Drew Blackwell for his first career goal to give the Explorers a 1-0 lead.
• The 13th minute saw a change in the course of the game, as sophomore Americo Pereira was issued a red card, forcing La Salle to play a man down.
• Despite the uneven numbers, the Explorers added to their lead in the 32nd minute when sophomore Paolo Kampula converted a penalty kick to put the score at 2-0.
• Heading into intermission, Manhattan held a 5-2 edge in shots, with both of La Salle's attempts finding the back of the net.
• The Explorers continued to play a man down and fended off all challenges the Jaspers made over the first 25 minutes of action in the second stanza, before a straight red on a Manhattan player put both teams at 10 men.
• From there, sophomore goalkeeper Filip Sabatti made a three stops to earn a clean sheet for a second straight contest.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Sabatti closed with seven saves on the night and has 13 over his first two matches while holding a perfect 0.00 goals against average.
• Manhattan held a decisive 17-5 shot advantage but did play 57 minutes of match time with a man advantage.
• Watt finished with a team-high two shots, both of which were on goal, while freshman Yuval Nimrodi and senior Andrew Rosenbaum had one apiece.

UP NEXT 

• La Salle returns home on Tuesday, September 5 for a matchup against Lehigh at McCarthy Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6:00 p.m.