JACKSONVILLE - Fleming Island’s boys lacrosse team pulled away from Nease early in the third quarter and held on for a

12-9 victory over Nease in the Moe’s Classic at Jacksonville University’s D.B. Milne Field Saturday. The score was nearly identical to Fleming Island’s 11-8 win over the Panthers in last year’s Classic. The Golden Eagles were fueled by senior Eric Dobson, who had a typically strong game with three goals and two assists, and freshman Will Krupsky, who broke through in his fourth varsity game with four goals and an assist. The pair scored six of Fleming’s first seven goals, including three in a 41 second span early in the third quarter that put the Eagles in control.

“That was the turning point,” Golden Eagles head coach John Hawley of the run, which gave Fleming Island a 7-2 lead. “We had some good hard rides on their clear, caused a couple of turnovers and got a

few quick ones.”

Dobson started the run with a laser from the upper left wing with 7:11 remaining in the quarter. Krupsky scored 27 seconds later on a feed from Aaron Brown, and finished the run with a shot in transition off of the ensuing faceoff when teammate Parker Flagg won the draw, drove into the box and found Krupsky just outside the crease.

Scoring on fast breaks will be a theme for the Golden Eagles, who improved to 3-1 on the young season and hope to improve on last year’s 10-4 mark.

“Our style is to play in transition and to play fast,” said Hawley. “We’ll let our defenders stay in on offense for 10 or 15 seconds, trapping their offensive personal on the defensive side.”

Not allowing opponents time to substitute their defensive specialists before the Eagles get off a shot will be an advantage, and Hawley is willing to live with the increased risk of turnovers by having his

defensive players handle the ball. The fifth-year coach believes he has enough quality midfielders to handle that approach.

Though the offense will be led by Dobson, a Notre Dame commitment, Hawley hopes the Fleming Island attack will be balanced. Much will be asked of Krupsky, who can shoot and pass with either hand, as well as junior Shafer Clark, who scored twice Saturday, will be counted on to work the seams of the defense and score from the inside. Senior Ryan Suhrer and sophomore Jack Lestrange will be the main

dodgers from the top of the box, initiating much of the set offense. Sean Hawley, a marksman who scored twice against Nease, and Hayden Spiller, who notched one goal, will also start at attack and midfielder. A wildcard at midfielder will be Brown, fresh off his duties with the Golden Eagles basketball team that made a run to the regional semifinals. The 6’-4” senior logged some minutes at midfielder Saturday despite having had only a few practices with the team, but Hawley is optimistic that Brown will contribute.

“I think he can be a huge asset for our team as a two-way midfielder,” said Hawley. “With his stick stills and his conditioning from basketball, he fits right into our scheme.”

The 2020 Golden Eagles are young, with only three seniors among their 10 starters. They have a new goaltender in Nate Vernon, a junior who backed up Korbin Hamilton last year. Vernon played well

Saturday, making 10 saves.

“Nate did well,” said Hawley. “He has been better than expected in the goal. The passing and getting the ball out of his stick is a work in progress.”

Fleming Island needs to sort out its faceoff position. Joey Massaro, Ryan Emling and Flagg combined to win only eight of 24 faceoffs against Panthers specialist Sam Dec. Flagg had the most success, but his

minutes are currently limited by nagging shin splints. Hawley has faith in all three, crediting Dec as one of the top faceoff men in North Florida.

Defense should be a strength for the Golden Eagles, where Flagg, senior Jack Halstead and junior Luke Schreiber are all returning starters. According to Hawley, Schreiber is a great communicator and keeps his fellow defenders in proper position on the field.

“Our defense should be able to keep us in games,” said Hawley. “They are all very disciplined players.”

The Golden Eagles have been assigned to a new district this season. Rather than being grouped with St. John’s County teams, they are now aligned with schools from Duval County. Instead of competing for District honors with 2019 state champion Ponte Vedra, Fleming Island will battle Neptune Beach

Fletcher, Mandarin, Atlantic Coast and Sandalwood for a regional opportunity. Hawley expects the toughest competition to come from Fletcher and Mandarin.

“We were always in the toughest district in the state,” said Hawley. “I think the kids are happy about the switch.”The Golden Eagles next host Paxon on Tuesday, March 3.