A stellar defensive performance led to the first region win of the season for the Emery Spartans in a 1-0 thriller over the Manti Tempalrs Tuesday afternoon in Castle Dale.

Locked in a scoreless tie at the end of the first half, Ibrahim Abdul-Halim found the back of the net for Emery late in the contest. The win continues a streak of three straight contests without a loss for the Spartans.

Goalkeeper Elias Morris recorded his second shutout in three games as the Spartans move to 1-0-1 in region play and 3-2-1 overall. Morris logged his first shutout of the season last week in a 4-0 win over Gunnison.

Tuesday’s home game begins a stretch where Emery will play four of the next five at home. During that stretch the Spartans will play host to South Sevier, San Juan and Richfield.

Thursday the team will continue region play with a road tilt against the Grand Red Devils in Moab. Emery is currently sitting in second place in the division, while Grand holds the top spot with a region record of 2-0.