The clock was running toward halftime and the ball was rolling out of bounds.

Deer Park had a chance for a left-side corner kick in a scoreless opener at home against East Hampton if it hurried to retrieve that ball. Noah Romero heard a loud voice from way up the sideline on the other side of the field — coach Ryan Argenziano.

“I heard Coach A screaming at me, telling me to go run [and] get the ball,” Romero said. “I knew it was our last opportunity. It would’ve been a huge momentum shift to get the goal right before the half.”

Romero sent the ball perfectly in front. After it was touched and was loose, Adrian Islas knocked it in with three seconds to go.

“In that halftime, you could feel that was the moment where now they’re like, We’re going to get going here,” Argenziano said.

Rome

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