VALDOSTA â€" In 2012, North Georgia put together an offense that few teams could match. On Sunday, the Nighthawks met their match in the Florida Southern defense, but the one goal they did score proved to be enough. With Kelly Penston scoring early in the second half, 16th-ranked North Georgia was able to come away with a 1-0 win over Florida Southern.

The Nighthawks (1-1) won 15 games last year and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament behind a scoring machine that averaged 3.41 goals per game, second in Division II. Penston was their individual leader with 12, and got her first of 2013 two minutes into the second half.

In the first half, the Nighthawks held an 8-2 advantage in shots, but junior goalkeeper Erin Moseley (Jacksonville, Fla.) kept the Moccasins in the game by making seven saves. Four of those came in the first 14 minutes before the Mocs were able to test North Georgia goalkeeper Mallory Sayre with shots by Kara Moore (Fleming Island, Fla.) and Kristy Legoas (Palm Harbor, Fla.).

After the shot totals favored North Georgia in the first half, Florida Southern took an equal number in the second half when each team had six. After Penston had given the Nighthawks a 1-0 lead, Moore hit the post for the Moccasins in the 63rd minute, and a follow-up by Legoas was saved by Sayre.

Sayre would later stop two shots by Moore in the 67th and 70th minutes, and the Mocs were held to just one more shot the rest of the game.

Sayre made five saves for North Georgia, and Moseley made 10 for Florida Southern, matching her career-high set on Friday against Valdosta State.

Florida Southern will return to Lakeland for its first home game of the season on Friday night at 7 p.m. against Incarnate Word.