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Fleming Island Comes From Way Down to Beat Buchholz 12-11

Written by Lee Roggenburg on . Posted in .
By Mike Zima, Correspondent Patrick Schreiber scored off of a feed from defenseman Aiden deAbreu-Reese with 0:31 left in overtime to rally host Fleming Island from a five-goal deficit to a wild 12-11 victory over Gainesville Buchholz Wednesday night. “This might be the biggest gut-check I have ever coached,” said Fleming Island head coach Jeff La Vangie, whose squad improved to 6-0. “The grit and determination it took to come back and win that game was incredible.” Schreiber’s put-away ended a tense overtime in which both teams had multiple chances to secure the win. All six midfielders fought for what seemed a geological epoch over the faceoff, five of them touching the ball at one point before Jaren Szafranski gained possession for Fleming Island. The Golden Eagles came up empty, however, when Buchholz goalie Colton Girard snared Schreiber’s wraparound attempt, keeping the visitors alive. The Bobcats’ best chance in overtime came when senior attack Kyle Hunziger hit the side of the net with a drive from the right wing with 1:40 remaining. Buchholz immediately regained possession when Fleming Island goalie Ryan Kelly’s clearing pass sailed out of bounds, but squandered the opportunity when tight defense by Golden Eagles Chase Wilson and deAbreu-Reese forced a turnover. DeAbreu-Reese scooped up the loose ball and sprinted downfield. With a four-on-three man advantage, the senior drove toward the right side of the goal, raised his stick and tossed a perfect pass across the crease to Schreiber. Schreiber, a freshman, faked a high shot, calmly stepped inside a sliding defender and knocked Buchholz from the unbeaten ranks with a winner between Girard’s ankles. “When Aiden broke away, I knew he would either make a shot or make a great pass,” said La Vangie. “He just sees the field that well.” Buchholz dominated the second quarter in taking a 9-4 halftime lead. Hunziger, who finished with five goals, and junior middie Finn Swanson displayed quickness and stick skills in consistently going around and through the Golden Eagles’ defense. Swanson, who scored the Bobcats’ final goal with 4:41 left in the fourth quarter to give Buchholz an 11-9 lead, finished with a hat trick. The Bobcats also benefited from eight first half penalties against Fleming Island, converting on three man-up opportunities. But the Golden Eagles picked up their energy level in the second half, playing tighter defense and moving the ball more crisply on offense. Hayden La Vangie scored the first goal of the second half in transition after a steal by Szafranski, and capped the comeback with a high shot from five yards out to tie the game with 1:40 remaining. La Vangie finished with five goals. Junior middie Devan Marquis played a critical role in the rally, scoring all three of his goals in the final two quarters and smothering Hunziger on defense. “We did not change anything at halftime,” said La Vangie of his Eagles, who outscored the Bobcats 8-2 in the second half and overtime. “We just did what was supposed to be the game plan starting the game.” The schedule does not get any easier for Fleming Island, which hosts IMG Friday night. Buchholz falls to 6-1.