MIAMI SHORES, Fla. - St. Thomas (4-0-1, 1-0 TSC) won its Sun Conference opener and remained undefeated with a 1-0 victory over host Johnson & Wales (3-3, 0-1 TSC) on Wednesday afternoon at the Miami Shores Village Field.  Eva Castano Candela scored the game's lone goal to give the Bobcats the victory.

The Bobcats, winners of four straight, have now outscored their opponents 16-2 on the season.

The match was scoreless throughout the first half and for the first 10 minutes of the second stanza until Candela scored in the 56th minute.  Jannel Johnson fired a blistering shot at the JWU goalkeeper who deflected the ball for an opportunity for Candela who finished off the play by sliding to beat the keeper to the ball and finding the back of the net.  It marked the second goal in as many games for Candela who now has three goals on the season.

The Bobcat defense, led by Kylie Braeseke and Lisa Wallje limited the Wildcats to 12 shots.  STU goalie Cristina Garwacki played all 90-minutes and recorded four saves to earn her third shutout of the season and the 15th shutout of her career.  It marked the third consecutive shutout for STU which has not allowed a goal in 280 minutes dating back to a goal allowed vs. McPherson in a neutral site game on Aug. 26 in Aurora, Colo.

In all, STU out-shot JWU 25-12 with a 14-5 advantage in the first half.  Johnson fired off a team-high seven shots, including three shots on goal.  Candela (4 shots), Sarah Lyppert Thomsson (4), Andrea Wunch Manzur (3) and Alexa Rivera (2) also had multiple shots on goal.

The Bobcats will look to extend their undefeated streak when they return to Sun Conference play on Saturday with a home match vs. Thomas University scheduled for 1 p.m. at Bobcat Field.