A first-half penalty-kick goal was the slim difference as No. 6-ranked Life University (Georgia) defeated Georgia Gwinnett College 1-0 in a hard-fought women's soccer contest Tuesday night in Marietta, Georgia.

Nellie Pedersen converted the penalty kick in the 12th minute after the Running Eagles (5-0-0) were able to draw a foul inside the GGC 18-yard box.

The Grizzlies (4-1-0) outshot Life by a 10-8 margin, including a 7-2 advantage during the second half. Five of the visitors' shots were on goal. Junior goalkeeper Ayano Kurosawa recorded three saves in the match.

Georgia Gwinnett College applied pressure in hopes of scoring the tying goal. Sophomore Riko Yasuzawa nearly squared the contest when her long-ranged shot was wide left of the goal in the 25th minute.

In the second half, junior Natalie Maguire had a shot attempt stopped by Life goalkeeper Justine Candel in the 60th minute. Twenty-two seconds later Yasuzawa registered a shot on goal that was once again turned away by Candel.

Later, senior Pernilla Westergren missed just high with a shot during the 88th minute. The midfielder tied for match-high honors with three shot attempts.

Tuesday's match marked the first encounter against a nationally ranked opponent. Three of the team's first four September matches are against teams ranked No. 16 or higher in the initial NAIA Top 25 poll.
  "They (Life) were more committed to their system than we were tonight. It worked well for them and they get the most out of their players. Tonight, we just ran into a style of play that causes us some issues. I'm happy that we fixed some things in the second half, but I just wish it could have come a little sooner," said Head Coach Dr. Mike Giuliano.
  Scoring chances were few and far between across the 90 minutes of action Tuesday evening. The Grizzlies registered seven of their 10 shots in the second half. Meanwhile, No. 6-ranked Life had six of its eight shots during the first half. A foul in the 18-yard box in the 12th minute resulted in a penalty kick goal for the Running Eagles, which Nellie Pedersen was able to successfully convert for the winning goal.
  12' – Nellie Pedersen, Life (Penalty kick)
 

• The Grizzlies outshot Life by a 10-8 margin, including a 7-2 margin during the second half
• Life recorded three corner kicks compared to two corner kicks for GGC on Tuesday
• Senior Pernilla Westergren tied for match-high honors with three shots
• Junior goalkeeper Ayano Kurosawa made three saves across the 90 minutes of action.

• GGC drops to 4-1-0 on the season; Life improves to 5-0-0 this fall
• The Grizzlies received votes in the first NAIA Top 25 poll of the 2024 regular season; Life stood No. 6 in the same poll
• Georgia Gwinnett College still has a 4-1-1 series lead all-time against Life
• The team is 2-1 on the road on the season

Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to host No. 16 SCAD Savannah (Georgia) on Friday, September 6, at the Grizzly Soccer Complex, starting at 10 a.m.