The Georgia Gwinnett College women's soccer team relied on a stingy defensive effort and several second-half adjustments to battle No. 3-ranked Keiser University (Florida) to a scoreless draw in Saturday afternoon's opening match of the SCAD Coca-Cola Classic in Savannah, Georgia.

The Grizzlies (2-0-1), who received votes in the NAIA Top 25 preseason poll, showed improvement from losing to the Seahawks 4-0 last season, also on a neutral pitch. Keiser was held scoreless for the first time in 24 matches since the quarterfinal round of the 2021 NAIA national tournament.

In this year's matchup, Keiser (0-0-1) controlled the action for most of the opening 45 minutes, registering five of its 13 shots on goal.

However, GGC junior goalkeeper Matilda Johansson stood tall protecting the net, stopping all five of those first-half shots. She finished the contest with six saves in posting her first shutout of the 2023 season.

The team's defensive backline featuring senior D'arne Boato, junior Ola Orelesi and sophomore Vanna Darrell held the Seahawks to just four shots during the second half, with only one shot being on goal.

Meanwhile, GGC had all three of its shots on goal occur during the final 20 minutes of the match. A shot by freshman Gabriela Rosas was stopped by Keiser goalkeeper Zara Board in the 70th minute.

Later, Board made two goal-saving stops in the final minutes. The first came on a shot by senior Victoria Watson in the 83rd minute. Then, a free kick by junior Aurora Miglio came with six seconds remaining in the match.

Miglio led the team with two shots.
  "I'm pleased with how the team executed the adjustments we made at halftime. It was a completely different game in the second half, because of those adjustments. We weathered the storm in the first half but created some dangerous scoring chances in the second half, including a free kick in the closing seconds. We were able to pressure them into some mistakes that created our chances. This a good result and shows that we're a mentally mature team," said Head Coach Dr. Mike Giuliano.
  The Grizzlies withstood a heavy offensive attack in the first half by the No. 3-ranked Seahawks. Junior goalkeeper Matilda Johansson stopped all five shots on goal during the period to keep the match scoreless. Keiser had 13 shots in the opening 45 minutes. However, the Grizzlies turned things around in the second half, pressuring the Keiser goal with three shots on goal.
 

• Keiser held a 17-6 shot advantage, but both teams had four shots during the second half
• GGC was called for offsides three times on Saturday, showcasing the team's offensive pressure in the match
• Junior goalkeeper Matilda Johansson recorded six saves with five stops coming in front of the goal in the first half
• Junior Aurora Miglio led the Grizzlies with two shot attempts, including a shot with six seconds left in the match that was stopped by Keiser goalkeeper Zara Board

• GGC is 2-0-1 this fall; Keiser opened the season on Saturday
• The Grizzlies received votes in the NAIA Top 25 preseason poll; Keiser stood No. 3 in the same poll
• GGC recorded its second draw in the all-time series against the Seahawks, with the two teams battling to a 1-1 draw in Lawrenceville during the 2017 season
• Georgia Gwinnett College is 5-8-3 all-time in neutral-site matches

Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to play No. 17-ranked SCAD Savannah (Georgia) on Monday, September 4, at Hardeeville, South Carolina, in the second match of the Coca-Cola Classic, starting at 11 a.m.