Joey Eggleston seems blessed with strong shoulders and good timing.

With Bloomington Jefferson leading scorers Ryan Graff and Malik Epkenyong being stifled by Benilde-St. Margaret’s, Eggleston took it upon himself to do the heavy lifting for the Jaguars’ offense.

The senior attackman scored a career-high five goals to carry Bloomington Jefferson past the Red Knights 10-0 in a Metro West Conference matchup Tuesday at Benilde-St. Margaret’s High School.

“I knew I had to step up and run the offense,” Eggleston said after the win. “I was up to the task.”

Was he ever.

Eggleston dodged and darted through the Red Knights’ defense, working his way to the net and creating his own scoring opportunities. The four-year varsity player tallied a goal in every quarter, including two in the third that helped the Jaguars turn their modest 3-0 halftime lead into an insurmountable 8-0 advantage.

Eggleston, who finished with 16 goals and 27 points last season, may have also worked his way into the defensive game plan of Bloomington Jefferson’s upcoming opponents. His scoring outburst made him the team’s top scorer with 12 goals through four games. Graff, who scored one against the Red Knights, and Epkenyong each have 11 goals.

While Eggelston’s goals were important in the victory, two other plays turned the game in the Jaguars’ favor. 

Bloomington Jefferson coach Scott Cater said his team took control by winning back-to-back faceoffs at the start of the second half. 

“(T)hat completely changed our focus,” Cater said. “I don’t think we dropped a pass after that.” 

Joining Eggleston in the scoring spree was freshman midfielder Princeton Oppong, who notched his first varsity goal less than four minutes into the fourth quarter. 

“I think it’s a great step to help me go forth this season,” Oppong said. 

Having veterans like Graff, Ekpenyong and Eggleston to emulate makes it easy to produce on the field, Oppong said. 

“Honestly, it’s really encouraging,” he added. “It’s so easy to follow after them because they’re such a great influence.”

The next generation of Bloomington lacrosse stars are also being influenced by this group of Jaguars, thanks to a Saturday morning clinic run by the boys varsity team.

“They’re running what we call ‘Bear Cubs,’” Cater said. 

“We have 85 kids ages 5 to 8 years old, and then we have practice right after,” Cater continued with a chuckle. 

The varsity interaction with the Bloomington Youth Lacrosse Association (BYLA) isn’t limited to just teaching skills, Cater added.

“We’re giving back to the game and that’s what’s most important,” Cater said. 

Eggleston and Oppong played in BYLA, which features teams for boys up to 14 years old and girls in grades three to eight, and both agree with their coach’s sentiment. 

“It’s a lot of fun, especially growing the game,” Eggleston said. “We really like giving back to the program.”

Joey Eggleston scored five goals to lead Bloomington Jefferson to a 10-0 win over Benilde-St. Margaret’s in a Metro West Conference matchup Tuesday night at Benilde-St. Margaret’s High School. 

The Jaguars (4-0, 2-0), ranked No. 3 in the coaches poll, scored in double figures for the fourth time this season thanks to Eggleston’s performance, which included netting a goal in every quarter against the Red Knights (0-3, 0-1). The senior attackman now has 12 goals on the season.

Senior attackman Ryan Graff and junior attackman Weiland Parrish each finished with a goal and an assist, while junior midfielder Jay Johnson and junior attackman Jason Karau tacked on a goal apiece for Bloomington Jefferson. 

Freshman midfielder Princeton Oppong scored his first varsity goal in the fourth quarter for the Jaguars.

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