LAKELAND â€" Facing off against only its second Division I opponent in 15 years, Florida Southern struck first Friday night at Barnett Field against Incarnate Word (TX), only to see the Cardinals hit three shots that were impossible to stop. Two of those came in the first half to erase the Moccasins’ earlier lead, before Katie Miller hit one off the bottom of the crossbar late in the game to seal the Cardinals’ 3-1 victory.

If the game was measured by how much time each team spent in the other’s penalty box, or even the attacking third, it might have ended in a tie. The Moccasins (0-3) were only down 11-10 in the shot totals, had a 7-2 advantage in corner kicks, and were only a step away from several other shots that would have come from within 12 yards. Instead, the Cardinals (5-0) dodged all of the close calls, especially in the second half, and ended up with another win in their first season after moving up from Division II.

Both teams had good scoring chances in the first 15 minutes, with Abigail Koenigs going wide right by inches, and Caroline Evers (Valrico, Fla.) pulling a shot left for the Moccasins. It was Evers then who would help set up the Florida Southern goal in the 21st minute scored by freshman Kristy Legoas (Palm Harbor, Fla.).

Receiving the ball from Kara Moore (Fleming Island, Fla.) and taking it into the right corner, Evers lofted a cross toward the far post that was initially controlled by the Cardinals. Legoas didn’t give up on the play, however, and when the ball got away from goalkeeper Heather Kowalik, she was able to head it in for the first goal of her college career.

The Moccasins held the lead for nearly 10 minutes before Sarah Johnson knotted the score for Incarnate Word. Miller got her the ball at the top right corner of the box, and Johnson’s shot was a rope that found the netting on the far side of the goal for the equalizer.

Five minutes later, Kathryn Mundy blasted a direct free kick from just outside the box into the upper left corner of the goal that gave the Cardinals a 2-1 lead.

Florida Southern had the better of it for much of the second half, getting the ball forward for Evers, Legoas, Kirra Rainbow (Melbourne Beach, Fla.), Brooke Williams (Brandon, Fla.) or Sheila Ramos (Tampa, Fla.) on multiple occasions. The Mocs were unable to connect, however, and when Legoas had a good look at the goal in the 66th minute, her shot was stopped by Kiana Tipton with Kowalik out of the net.

Alyssa Abrahamsen (Highland, NY) set up two promising runs in the first five minutes of the second half, but the Incarnate Word defense broke the plays up inside the box. Legoas had a beautiful cross toward Evers in the 55th minute that was just a step too far at the back post, and a long free kick by Moore in the 57th minute almost gave Legoas a shot before Kowalik came out of the goal to grab it at the last second.

After surviving the Moccasin attack earlier in the second half, Incarnate Word scored its final goal of the night in the 78th minute when Miller’s shot from the top of the box bounced off the bottom of the crossbar and into the net for her fifth goal of the season.

Erin Moseley (Jacksonville, Fla.) made three saves for Florida Southern, and Kowalik had two for Incarnate Word.

Florida Southern will play again Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. when it hosts top-ranked West Florida, the defending NCAA Division II national champions.