Manhattan ? Baba Diallo scored a goal midway through the first half, and goalkeeper Colin Flanders made it stand up as Lawrence High opened its soccer season Thursday with a 1-0 shutout of Manhattan.

“Heck, yes, it was a good opener,” LHS coach David Platt said. “We were really worried going in. We’re a young team. We lost six starters from last year, but these young men stepped up and showed a lot of character.”

Taylor Bussinger assisted on the goal. Platt cited Kevin Calton and Rex Hargis for their play.

The Lions (1-0) will play host to Free State on Thursday at the Youth Sports Inc. fields.