Getting ahead early is something University of South Florida men's soccer head coach George Kiefer has stressed lately, and it paid off in a big way for the Bulls on the road.

USF (8-4-4 overall, 2-2-3 BIG EAST) took just four shots in the game, but made two of them count in the first half Saturday night to defeat St. John's, 2-1.

The Bulls put up a pair of goals in the first half, and settled in to a solid defense, forcing the Red Storm to take less-favorable looks at the USF goal. St. John's took 18 shots, putting just six on goal and scoring once – a chip shot past goalkeeper Dallas Jaye in the 62nd minute – as USF grabbed its eighth win of the season.

Roberto Alterio put USF on the board early, scoring in his second straight contest as he drove a 20-yard free kick past the keeper and into the back of that net in the sixth minute of the game.

Wesley Charpie followed that with a goal of his own, sending an eight-yarder inside the left post in the 22nd minute, giving the Bulls a 2-0 lead that would not be taken away.

Ashani Fairclough and Samuel Hosseini each tallied an assist on the Charpie goal, and Ben Sweat notched one of the Bulls' four shots.

USF travels to DePaul on Friday, Oct. 26 to finish out the regular season, in a game with postseason implications.