LOUISVILLE, Ky. - No. 11-ranked Louisville converted a first-half penalty kick to edge visiting Georgia Southern, 1-0, in non-conference men's soccer action on Tuesday evening at Lynn Stadium in Louisville.

The Cardinals improve to 7-2-2 overall with the victory, while Georgia Southern falls to 5-5-1. The Eagles return to action next Tuesday evening, visiting UAB on October 16 for an 8 p.m. contest in Birmingham, Ala.

Each team had one opportunity in the match's first 15 minutes, with the Eagles' Gonzalo Talavera heading a corner kick wide in the 15th minute.

Georgia Southern goalkeeper Jokull Blaengsson made a pair of saves to keep the match scoreless midway through the first half, but Louisville would break through in the 34th minute as a penalty whistled against the Eagles set up Geoffrey Dee, who converted into the upper left corner for the go-ahead goal and the one-goal halftime lead.

The Eagles' Javier Carbonell had a header chance in the first minute of the second half, and Samuel Mayer had a sequence in the 72nd minute where back-to-back close-range shots were blocked by the Cardinals' defense.

Georgia Southern's last chance for the equalizer came in the 87th minute as a long-range ball was headed high by Edward Raji, securing the win for UL.

"It's obviously tough to lose on a penalty, on the road to a top team," Georgia Southern Head Coach John Murphy said. "But we were certainly proud of the boys and the effort they put in. With the change in the Sun Belt schedule and us having to go to Howard and Louisville back-to-back, it wasn't ideal, but our kids handled it very well. Some joined us late last night after classes and some chose to stay home to focus on academics, which gives us perspective on the types of leaders we're developing here at Georgia Southern.

"I can't question anyone on the field today," Murphy said. "I thought it was an impressive effort from Luis [Caraballo], and Samuel Mayer was probably our most dangerous attacking player. We gave Louisville problems tonight, and I think there are a few positives we can draw out of the match."

Louisville finished the night with a 10-5 edge in shots over the Eagles. Blaengsson made four saves in net for the Eagles, while Will Meyer made one save for the Cardinals. Georgia Southern had eight corner kicks, compared to four for Louisville. The Cardinals were whistled for 15 fouls on the evening, with GS called for 12. Louisville was offsides twice on the night and Georgia Southern was offsides once.