Knights Shutout Mesa; Exantus Scores Twice

San Diego City was tied in the standings with Mesa coming into Tuesday's game, but the Knights moved past the Olympians with a 3-0 shutout to improve to 3-2-1 in the PCAC (5-5-4 overall), which puts them into sole possession of third place with six games remaining.

Jamesley Exantus scored a goal in each half and Diego Gonzalez put the game away with his goal in the 88th minute. 

City goalkeeper Diego Garcia made five saves to earn his fourth shutout of the season.

San Diego City took an early lead when Jamesley Exantus netted the opening goal in the 8th minute on a shot from about 25 yards out. The Knights nearly took a two-goal lead just three minutes later, but Shea Balelo's shot from 10 yards was saved by Mesa goalkeeper Javier Morales.

The Knights won the possession battle in the first half, but weren't able to add to their lead and went into the break holding a narrow 1-0 lead.

The second half saw more aggressive play from San Diego Mesa, but they were repeatedly denied by Garcia's solid goalkeeping. In the 61st minute, Angel Lugo hit the crossbar for Mesa, but the equalizer remained elusive.

The game remained tight until Exantus struck again in the 80th minute after knifing through Mesa's back line. It was his team-leading ninth goal of the year.

Just a few minutes later, Diego Gonzalez sealed the win with his second goal of the season in the 87th minute, making it 3-0. He capitalized off a Mesa turnover in their own box and fired into the back of the net.

Mesa pushed forward late, but couldn't break through as the Knights held on to their shutout.

The Knights are halfway through this six-game homestand and will host first-place MiraCosta (4-1-1) on Friday at 3 p.m.