CARSON, Calif. – A pair of firsts paved the way for a return to second place in the Western Conference on Friday night for the LA Galaxy II, as Adonis Amaya’s first goal of the season and Bennett Sneddon’s first career shutout played a key role in a 2-0 victory against Tulsa Roughnecks FC at the StubHub Center Track & Field Stadium.

“It was a very hard-fought three points,” said Galaxy II Coach Curt Onalfo. “I thought we performed very well, very good first half. Had a stretch in the second half where we let our foot off the gas and lost a little momentum, but closed out the game well. It was good to get the shutout and the three points.”

Amaya’s quick-thinking led to the opening goal in just the seventh minute of the game, as he anticipated a risky Roughnecks back-pass perfectly to clip his finish over Alex Mangels and into the back of the net with a first-time shot.

The former Academy standout had been battling some injuries earlier in the season, but just as absences offered the chance for Jack McBean to make his return to the Galaxy’s MLS squad in midweek, McBean’s absence opened the door for Amaya to play a bigger role in his fourth start of the season on Friday night.

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“It feels good,” Amaya said. “The team played well overall. It’s kind of hard when someone sits back, but we were able to get it around them and get out wide. We played well I think. Everyone had a good performance and we worked hard for the win today.”

While the game could provide a springboard for Amaya, earning his first shutout as a professional should be a major boost for Sneddon. Making only his third professional start – after his first appearance as a pro came in last season’s USL Championship Game as a substitute – Sneddon rebounded from an unlucky own goal in Tulsa the week before that saw the game finish in a 2-2 draw to pull off a handful of great saves.

The 19-year-old was particularly sharp in the first half, as he denied Sammy Ochoa in the 16th minute with a diving stop. Sneddon came up big again on a good free kick by Jasson Ramos Carpio just before the halftime break to keep Los Dos ahead.

After recording eight draws in the first half of the season, including last week’s 2-2 final in Tulsa, Amaya said he hoped earning a win to kick off the second half would push the side on for the rest of the season.

“I think just our movement off the ball was good today,” Amaya said. “We worked very hard today; it’s hard to win games in this league. Our attitude was right from the beginning and we showed it throughout the whole 90 minutes. It was good for the team to get the win after a couple of draws, so we’ll be good for the rest of the season.”