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Fleming Island Gets Back on Track with Moe’s Classic Win over Mandarin

Written by Lee Roggenburg on . Posted in .
By Mike Zima, Correspondent Fleming Island scored five unanswered goals in the final 7:02 to pull away from Jacksonville Mandarin for a 9-2 victory in the Moe’s Classic at Jacksonville University’s D.B. Milne Field Saturday. Mustangs sophomore Jared Kane opened the scoring with a drive from behind the goal, but the Golden Eagles took the lead late in the first quarter on two goals from middie Devan Marquis. Marquis found the net on a quick strike after snaring a pass from behind the goal by Kirby Gracia and tallied again off of a feed from Jack Hawley. Marquis led all scorers with three goals. Mandarin kept within striking distance when freshman Bryce Dukes stole a pass intended for Fleming Island goaltender Corbin Hamilton and deposited the ball into an empty net, bringing the Mustangs within 3-2 with 10:40 remaining in the third quarter. Senior Sam Barrington scored the first two goals of the Golden Eagles’ decisive run and had one of seven assists on the nine Fleming Island goals. Nine different players had either a goal or an assist for the Green and Gold. “We were able to accomplish our goal of getting our younger developmental players playing time and experience,” said Fleming Island coach John Hawley, who substituted liberally throughout the game. Hawley was especially pleased with the play of goalies Corbin Hamilton and Demetri Jones, who combined for eight saves. Hamilton, a freshman, Jones, and junior, shared the duties in the crease, giving seniors Jason Kunath and Ryan Kelly the day off. Middies Max Michaels and Andy Zima helped keep the pressure off of the goalies. Michaels, a freshman, won 12 of 15 face offs to keep the ball away from the Mustangs, while Zima led the Golden Eagles’ defensive effort with six ground balls and two steals. Fleming Island, now 2-1, plays a second game in the Classic, taking on Tallahassee Maclay Monday, February 15. Mandarin falls to 1-2 and hosts Jacksonville Lee on Tuesday.