ELSAH, IL – The Principia men's soccer team made an early lead hold up for the full 90 minutes on Saturday afternoon, shutting out Blackburn 1-0 in front of a home crowd. Juan Garcia Lopez supplied the goal, while Edgar Cartagena and the Panther defense kept the Beavers off the board to secure their second conference win.

Principia controlled much of the action early, taking the first three shots of the match before breaking through in the 11th minute. Alberto Hernandez set up a perfect header by Garcia Lopez just inside the left post for his first goal of the season. The Panthers continued to push for a second goal throughout the opening half, finishing the period with 14 shots and four corner kicks. Blackburn managed just two shots on goal before the break with Cartagena stopping both, allowing Principia to carry its 1-0 advantage into halftime.

The Beavers applied more pressure in the second half, forcing Cartagena into five more saves. Principia had opportunities to create some breathing room of its own, including a pair of Hernandez shots on target late in the match, but Blackburn's goalkeeper kept the margin at one. That left the Panthers needing to protect the narrow lead all the way to the final whistle. Cartagena came up with big saves in the 81st and 88th minutes before making one final stop in the closing seconds to finish off the clean sheet.

The performance helped Cartagena earn SLIAC Men's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week honors for the second time this season. The Panthers will travel to Westminster College for a Tuesday evening game before returning home for their Senior Day against Webster University on Saturday, October 17 at 3:00 PM CT.