EAST CHICAGO, Ind. — IU Northwest men's soccer kept its Labor Day roll going Monday, blanking IU Columbus, 2-0, behind first-half and second-half goals and a clean sheet from Carter Levesque, improving to 5-2-0 on the season.
Christian Sanclemente Roa broke the scoreless tie in the 21st minute, finishing off a Gavin Niebel assist for the first goal of his collegiate career and giving the Redhawks a 1-0 lead heading into the break. IU Columbus goalkeeper Jordin Jones had kept the game within reach to that point, turning away shots from Marcos Talavera and Chase Beals earlier in the half, but couldn't deny Sanclemente Roa's finish.
IU Northwest doubled its lead just three minutes into the second half. Gavin Niebel capped the scoring in the 48th minute, converting an Ezekiel Mugisha assist to make it 2-0, a lead the Redhawks would not relinquish.
From there, Levesque and the Redhawks defense did the rest. Levesque made five saves to preserve the shutout, including stops on Maruwe Exauce and Matheus Ornellas Gubert in the closing minutes, while Jones finished with six saves at the other end. IU Northwest also created a steady stream of chances throughout, with Luis Limones testing Jones multiple times and setting up several corner kick opportunities in the second half.
The Redhawks held a 10-9 edge in total shots and finished with the game's only goals despite an even battle in the midfield, extending their winning streak as conference play approaches.
IU Northwest hits the road to face Hannibal-LaGrange on Saturday, Sept. 12, in Hannibal, Mo. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
