Deer Park boys soccer's Noah Romero has two assists in win over East Hampton
Simon Londono of East Hampton, bottom left, slides to try and get the ball away from Noah Romero of Deer Park during a Suffolk League II boys soccer game in Deer Park on Thursday. Credit: Peter Frutkoff
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.
Romero then set up the next goal early in the second half. The senior forward/midfielder’s two assists helped the Falcons get their soccer season off on the right foot Thursday with a 3-1 Suffolk League II win.
“He’s a great player,” Argenziano said. “He’s an outstanding technical player. He’s a great [hustler]. Great awareness on the ball. He’s really a leader for this team.”
This team has eight starters back from the 2024 version that made the postseason for the first time in a decade and fell in double OT to Half Hollow Hills West in the AA quarterfinals.
“We went out unluckily last year,” Romero said. “It was unfortunate for us. We definitely could’ve went further. We believe that and we know that. And that’s what we’re looking to do this year.”
The Falcons had KO’d East Hampton in the first round, winning 2-1. So they expected a motivated opponent.
“We talked about it leading up to the game,” said Bonackers coach Don McGovern, who has just four starters back. “They’re a different team. We’re a different [team]. But it’s an added incentive.”
McGovern lamented the timing of the first goal and that the second goal “was too easy.”
Romero closed from the right side of the box after a corner kick and lifted the ball toward 6-3 senior center back Cristian Miller, who headed it in.
Deniz Jusuf made it 3-0 before Eduardo Calle finally scored for East Hampton.
“It’s amazing to get off to a good start,” Miller said. “It sets the standard for our season.”
