FLEMING ISLAND - In a rare Saturday morning visit from four-time state champion Lakeland Christian School, Fleming Island girls soccer coach Taylor Berry got a quick look at how her 2026 team will hopefully fare this season as the Golden Eagles pulled off a 1-0 season-opening win.

The win came by way of a header from Lauren Topp off a corner kick and a scramble in front of the Lakeland Christian goal. Ava Davie was credited with the assist.

"It was a very hot day and the second half got a little rougher," said Berry, whose team finished as the district runner-up to Clay last year then lost their region opener to Beachside. "The girls are working hard and wanting to have a great season."

Next up, Fleming Island has Fernandina Beach on Tuesday, Nov. 10 and Nease on Thursday, Nov. 12, with a road game at Oakleaf on Nov. 18.

In the new District 3-5A, Oaklead, Fleming Island, Ridgeview, Clay and Orange Park are joined by Gainesville.

Oakleaf is 1-1 with a 4-0 loss to Creekside before a 6-0 win over Middleburg on Nov. 4 with six goals from six players - Xevira Gross, Madison Galloway, Brooklyn Rogers, Audrey Garcia, Aryana Weintraub and Lillian Frazier. Oakleaf next has matches with Mandarin, Episcopal and Tocoi Creek.

Clay, 1-0, opened with a 1-0 win over St. Augustine. The Blue Devils have Bolles, which has former St. Johns Country Day School coach Mike Pickett as its coach, visiting on Tuesday, Nov. 10, with Ridgeview and unbeaten (2-0) Bartram Trail to follow. Bartram Trail has four state titles (three in 7A 2in 020, 21, 23 and one in 6A in 2025), losing to eventual 6A runner-up Niceville in the region finals last year.

Orange Park opened with a 4-0 loss to Middleburg to go to 0-1 with Global Outreach, Crescent City and Bishop Snyder upcoming.

Ridgeview lost its opener 9-2 to St. Joseph Academy, and it will have upcoming games with Keystone Heights, Clay and Middleburg.

Keystone Heights has forged into its season with a 4-0 win over Santa Fe and losses to PK Yonge and Menendez. Against Santa Fe, Ryleigh Thomas scored twice with Parker Collins and Kaleigh Coffey scoring one apiece. Collins scored the lone goal in the 5-1 loss to PK Yonge.

St. Johns Country Day School, with new coach Sarah Voglewede taking over for Pickett, opened at 2-0 with an 8-0 win over Global Outreach and a 4-2 win over Yulee. The Lady Spartans next have Christ's Church Academy, Trinity Christian Academy and PK Yonge on the road.

In the 8-0 win over Global Outreach, junior Alana Mantello scoreed three goals with seventh grader Baillie Van Tassel tallying two.

Vogelwede, with assistant coach Rebecca Jollow, an Orange Park High soccer, tennis and swimming standout, looks to rebuild the astounding aura of departed coach Pickett's legacy with her own touches.

"I've been here since 2007 as a player here, then Notre Dame, then Charlotte, then I came back in fall of 2021 with coach Pickett," said Vogelwede. "It is a little scary to follow in the footsteps of coach Pickett. I just hope to continue to give these players a little of what I got out of being here as a player and as a coach."

Voglewede, an All America goalie, will how have to expand her teaching reach to all the other parts of the game.

"What I want is the strong culture, a team built on trust and a love for the game," Voglewede said. "We've already done a lot with preseason to set those standards and hopefully, at the end of the day, it comes through with some good things on the field."