COLUMBUS, Ind. -- Controlling the pace of play throughout much of its 90-minute road affair against River States Conference foe Indiana-Columbus, the Shawnee State men's soccer program got a game-opening goal from Sekou Mara in the 20th minute, two goals -- one in each half -- from senior standout Marco Riva -- and another solid effort from the defense in the Bears' 3-0 victory over the Crimson Pride Saturday evening in the River States Conference opener for both squads as well as the River States Conference's Game of the Week, which was held at Richard Wigh Soccer Complex in Columbus, Ind.

Shawnee State, who improved to 5-1-2 and 1-0 in the River States Conference with the victory, held homestanding Indiana-Columbus (3-5-1, 0-1 River States Conference) to eight shots on goal with Shawnee State goalkeeper Toby Forsythe saving every attempt that came his direction -- seven in all with a team save thrown in. Forsythe lowered his single-season goals-against-average mark, which is still tracking to obliterate the previous school record, to 0.81.

Along with the above, second-year Shawnee State head coach Stan Rodrigues was pleased with the resiliency of his entire unit, including Theo Trindade and Sebastian Saavadra Obokuhov, the latter of whom stepped up and took on a larger role with several players resting due to injury or illness.

"We faced a tough first opponent, but we are also missing a few players due to injuries or illness," Rodrigues said. "This team is resilient and focused, and it's always good to open conference play with a win. Marco and Theo and Sebastian were solid as well as the entire supporting cast. It doesn't take much to motivate a team that loves their futbol and each other. I'm proud to say that. Vamos OSOS!"