BOSTON, Mass.—Senior captain Marcus Pizzetti (Malden, Mass.) scored in the second-minute and UMass Boston men's soccer (9-4, 4-0 Little East) survived playing down a man for the final 44 minutes, to earn a 1-0 victory over Western Connecticut State (5-7-1, 0-4 Little East) Saturday afternoon at the Clark Athletic Center Field.

Pizzetti's goal just 1:41 into the contest proved to be enough for the Beacons who earned their fifth-straight victory over the Colonials. It was the second goal of the season for Pizzetti, with co-captain Douglas Silveira (Revere, Mass.) and fellow senior Rolando Barbosa (Fogo, Cape Verde) picking up assists on the play.

Junior goalie Alfonso Rosales (Revere, Mass.) was issued a red card just 1:04 into the second half on a sliding tackle of a Western Connecticut State player just outside his own box. Fellow junior Estive Sosa (Chelsea, Mass.) came on in relief of Rosales and preserved the shutout. The two players each recorded one save to help UMass Boston earn their third-straight shutout and sixth of the year.

Western Connecticut State freshman Austin Tierney made five stops on six shots in the loss to fall to 5-7-1.

On a wet and cool afternoon, both teams struggled with their footing and their physicality at points, with the two teams combining for 20 fouls on the day.

Despite playing down a man for half of the contest, UMass Boston outshot the Colonials 20-7 and earned five of the six corners on the day.

It took just 101 seconds for the Beacons to take the lead, with Pizzetti finishing off a terrific cross from Barbosa. Silviera started the play by flicking the ball on to Barbosa who was behind the two defenders on the far side and Barbosa's cross found Pizzetti right in front of the net. Pizzetti dropped the ball to his left foot on the first touch and blasted it home from two yards out for his second goal of the season.

After 40 minutes of scoreless play, Elton Teixiera (Boston, Mass.) appeared to score off of a miscue by Tierney, but the referees whistled Teixiera offsides just a minute before halftime.

Coming out of the break, Rosales tried to rush off his line and grab hold of a loose ball, but instead tripped up the Colonials' Aislan Sartori.

The red card changed the complexion of the game, as the Beacons were forced to play without a second forward for the final 43:56.

Sartori nearly evened the game up on the ensuing free kick, but Sosa, fresh off the bench, tipped the ball just over the bar for a Colonials corner kick. Senior Phil Dagostino had a chance just after the corner kick, but his shot went wide.

UMass Boston had several chances to push their lead to 2-0, with Pizzetti missing a shot from distance just wide, and Teixiera ripping a shot right at the keeper in the closing minutes.

The Beacons will look to earn back-to-back double-digit win seasons for the first-time in program history Tuesday, when UMass Boston hosts Salve Regina University at 3 p.m.