A goal by midfielder Joey Gjertsen in the 83rd minute gave the Montreal Impact (2-2-0) a 1-0 win over the Puerto Rico Islanders (1-3-0), Friday, at Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium, in Bayamon, Puerto Rico.

On the play, forward Dwight Barnett, who came into the game at the 75th minute, slipped the ball deep on the right wing to Joey Gjertsen who beat goalkeeper Bill Gaudette with a high shot. It was Gjertsen's first goal of the season.

The Impact played with a man down from the 40th minute mark when forward Roberto Brown was ejected from the game for a foul against midfielder Osei Telesford.

“We held on and we believed in the win,” said Montreal Impact head coach Nick De Santis. “It was an incredible effort from all players. After losing a game we should gave won last week, tonight was a big test for us but we were successful. We suffered defensively in the past few games but tonight, we showed a lot of discipline.”

Goalkeeper Matt Jordan, who was back in nets after having missed the previous match due to a back injury, notably blocked a penalty kick at the 32nd minute. Jordan dove to his right to stop Victor Herrera’s low shot. The penalty was awarded when moments before, Impact defender Gabriel Gervais committed a foul on forward Fabrice Noel in the box, deep in the Impact zone, near the goal line.

“All credit goes to the guys in front of me, they were warriors tonight,” said Montreal Impact goalkeeper Matt Jordan, who registered his first shutout of the season. “We fought with heart, we’re proud of the effort and it’s something for us to build upon and carry this momentum to the next week.”

In the absence of injured defender Nevio Pizzolitto, Italian defender Stefano Pesoli started the game with Gabriel Gervais as central defenders. It was also the first start of the season for team captain Mauro Biello and midfielder Pato Aguilera.

The Impact remains undefeated in 11 regular season games against Puerto Rico with a record of 8-0-3 (15GF-4GA).

The team will play the fifth of six straight games on the road, Saturday, May 10, against the Minnesota Thunder, at 8 pm. The Impact will play its home opener at Saputo Stadium Monday, May 19, at 3 pm, against the Vancouver Whitecaps.