EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- John Wolyniec scored on a header in the first half and reserve goalie Jon Conway recorded his third shutout of the season as the New York Red Bulls beat D.C. United 1-0 on Sunday.

Wolyniec's goal -- his third of the season -- came in the 19th minute, after United midfielder Joshua Gros pulled down Red Bulls captain Claudio Reyna. With the direct free kick, Reyna sent the ball toward Jozy Altidore, who headed it to Wolyniec, who then beat goalie Troy Perkins.

"It was a great ball by Claudio and I would have bet that Jozy would have gotten to it," Wolyniec said. "I got a lucky break by getting to it. I wasn't sure that it was going to go in. It was huge."

Conway had four saves for the Red Bulls (8-6-3), who won for just the second time in their last seven matches. Filling in for Ronald Wattereus, who sat out with a sprained ankle, Conway earned the shutout with a strong game and some misplays by United (7-6-3), which squandered a few scoring opportunities.

"Maybe another day, it would have been a wide open game, but not today. It was a conference game against a big rival. I knew I had to be ready," Conway said. "I just do the same job each time, prepare as if I'm going to play no matter what."

Both teams played without their leading scorers. The Red Bulls were without Juan Pablo Angel, who served a one-game suspension for getting a red card in his team's previous game against New England, while United's Jaime Moreno, Major League Soccer's career leading scorer, sat out with a hamstring strain.