COLUMBUS, Ind. – IU Columbus men's soccer earned a hard-fought 1-0 win over Brescia (Ky.) on Wednesday evening, picking up their first River States Conference victory of the season behind a second-half breakthrough and a stellar goalkeeping performance.

The match remained scoreless through the first 67 minutes, with both sides pressing for a decisive moment. The Crimson Pride broke through in the 68th minute when Alejandro Saldivar slotted home the game's only goal, finishing off a setup from Anton Bezborodov.

Brescia applied consistent pressure in the opening half, tallying nine shots on goal, but goalkeeper Jacob Kasarda stood tall between the posts. Kasarda finished with nine saves to record the clean sheet, turning away each of the Bearcats' attempts.

The Pride outshot Brescia 14-9 overall and placed seven on frame. Along with Saldivar's winner, Christian Cardoso and Noah Cordero were active in the attack, combining for seven shots and four on goal.

On the defensive side, IU Columbus tightened up in the second half, limiting Brescia to zero shots after halftime while protecting their one-goal lead.

With the result, IU Columbus improves to 4-5-1 overall and 1-1 in RSC play, while Brescia falls to 2-6-2 and 1-1 in conference action.

Next Up: The Crimson Pride return to action this weekend as they continue their conference schedule as they travel to WVU Tech on Saturday (Oct. 10). Kick-off is set for 3:00 PM.