After going up 2-0 at halftime over Birmingham tonight in United Soccer League action at BBVA Compass Field, the Tampa Bay Rowdies used their aggressive defense to hold off multiple Legion FC scoring opportunities in the second half to preserve the shutout.

The Rowdies (8-5-0) showed why they sit atop the USL’s Eastern Conference standings, displaying defensive ferocity and the ability to get on the board quickly. The team entered the match allowing just four goals this season and recording eight shutouts before Saturday’s 2-0 victory over Birmingham (3-3-6).

The victory keeps Tampa Bay undefeated this season and atop the USL standings.

“Pretty clearly, I don’t think we came out with enough bite in the first half,” Legion FC coach Tom Soehn said. “We gave them three shots and they scored on two of them, and then didn’t give them much after that. Our goal is to come into halftime with a lead, and we didn’t do that.”

Tampa Bay struck first at the 28th minute when Sebastian Guenzatti scored his sixth goal of theseason. Guenzatti received the ball right in front of the goal on an assist from midfielder Andrew Tinari.

The visitors added to their lead in the 43rd minute, when Tinari scored on a pass from Malik Johnson to put Tampa Bay up 2-0.

Birmingham Legion FC stepped up its offensive play in the second half, recording four meaningful scoring opportunities near the goal, all of which were defended strongly. In full, Birmingham had six shots in the second half, three of them on target and one blocked, for a substantial improvement from its two first-half shots.

The first opportunity came soon after play resumed after the break, when a penalty shot in the 49th minute from forward Brian Wright was correctly predicted and blocked by Tampa Bay goalkeeper John McCarty.

McCarty came up big again in the 65th and 73rd minutes on blocks inside the goal.

Legion FC defender Kyle Culberton made a cross pass to JJ Williams in the far post that looked like it would go in for a score in the 65th minute, but was blocked.

Midfielder Joe Holland came off the bench and sent a beautiful pass to forward Brian Wright in the left wing that was blocked effectively by Tampa Bay.

A blocked shot from Wright in the 84th minute constituted the last chance for Legion FC.

“A lot of things could have changed, but unfortunately it wasn’t our day today,” Soehn said.

Birmingham controlled the ball much of the game, and was particularly impressive in the second half when the possession arrow leaned toward Legion FC almost 60 p ercenet of the time. The home team also kept Tampa Bay away from opportunities in the second half, as the Rowdies had just two shots on target in the final 45 minutes.

Wright led all Legion FC players with three total shots and two on target; Williams added two on-target shots. The Rowdies were led by Juan Tejada’s two shots, but also had single shots on-target from Guenzatti, Tinari, Zach Steinberger and David Najem.

Birmingham Legion FC goes on the road next Saturday, June 8, against Charleston Battery.

“Everybody wanted more out of this game,” Soehn said. “It’s sort of a measuring stick when you play a team that’s undefeated. You want to see where you stand.

“We’re right on the cusp of that playoff line and we needed to show something. We have to get over that line and this was a good opportunity,” he added. “So, we’re disappointed.”

The top 10 team teams advance to the playoffs, and Legion FC is 10th right now.