
Fleming Island Survives Mandarin 5-4
Written by Lee Roggenburg on . Posted in Uncategorized.
Above -Danny Schreiber takes the game winning shot with 1:07 on the clock – Photo by Ray DiMonda
By Mike Zima, Correspondent
Junior attack Danny Schreiber scored with 1:07 remaining off of a feed from Kirby Gracia to lift visiting Fleming Island to a 5-4 victory over Mandarin Tuesday night.
Taking possession after nearly simultaneous penalties against the Golden Eagles’ Jake Funyak and Mandarin’s Tyler Charpentier left the teams playing five-on-five, middie Sam Barrington passed quickly to Gracia on the left side of the goal. Garcia flipped a quick pass to Schreiber cutting to the crease from the top of the box, and Schreiber, though surrounded by three Mustangs defenders, used a quick fake to move Mandarin goalie Brent Gordon out of position before shooting to the left side of the goal.
Fleming Island had to sweat out a tense final minute after Schreiber’s tie-breaker. The Mustangs won the ensuing faceoff and managed to fire two shots before time expired. But Fleming Island goalie Jason Kunath raised his stick to deflect a shoulder-high shot by Mandarin’s Greg DePue, and a drive from Mustangs middie Tim Lynch sailed six inches above the crossbar. Schreiber’s game-winner was one of the rare times the Golden Eagles were able to solve Gordon. Twirling and flipping his stick like a corpsman’s musket, the Mandarin senior kept the Mustangs in the game with thirteen saves, many of them on volleys from close range. Like a hockey goalie, Gordon made several saves with his feet.
“Gordon played insane,” said Fleming Island coach Jeff La Vangie. “Our offensive execution was not bad. He just played incredibly.”
The Golden Eagles outshot Mandarin 17-7 in the first half, but led only 2-1 behind goals from Gracia and Schreiber. Overall, Fleming Island outshot the hosts 35-20.Early in the fourth quarter, it appeared Fleming Island had seized control when Barrington and Hayden La Vangie scored on drives to the crease, putting the Golden Eagles ahead 4-2. But Mandarin fought back, pulling to within one on a close range shot by attack Robert Carney and tying the game with 4:19 remaining on a bounce shot by sophomore Aaron Adams.
Kunath, subbing for the injured Ryan Kelly, acquitted himself nicely in the crease for the Golden Eagles, making seven saves for a sparkling .636 save percentage.
“I thought he did great,” said La Vangie. “There were a few nerves on his clears at the beginning, but he settled in.”This is the second consecutive time that the Golden Eagles have beaten Mandarin by a single goal. The two schools, located just across the St John’s River from each other, will face each other again on April 7 in the first round of the district playoffs.
Fleming Island improves to 8-2 and visits Gainesville Oak Hall Thursday.
Mandarin, now 6-4, hosts Neptune Beach Fletcher Friday in its annual Sticks & Stangs game. Among other giveaways, hot dogs and potato chips will be free. All students wearing green or orange to the game will gain free admission.