Whitman and Newfield boys soccer teams draw after going into double overtime

Overtime was approaching under the fading sun at Whitman. This terrific soccer match against Newfield was even with the clock dipping under four minutes left. And then suddenly Justin Valencia had a shot to put Whitman ahead.

The senior striker had already scored the equalizer in the first half. Now he was sending a rocket from up top, sailing it toward Wolverines senior goalkeeper Abi Heras.

“I just thought I had to get to the ball, save this team,” Heras said.

He got to the ball, robbing Valencia by getting his hands up to deflect it, one of his 11 stops.

Overtime came. Then double overtime came. And after 100 minutes of soccer Wednesday, Newfield and Whitman owned a 1-1 draw.

“I just think that it was two really good soccer teams that both deserved the point out of that game,” Wolverines coach Jamie Santiago said. “There were chances galore for both teams.”

These talented Suffolk II teams, with 35 seniors spread between them, feel they can be among the contenders for the county’s AAA title.

“Oh yeah, absolutely,” Wildcats coach John DiGiacomo said. “I think it’s wide open. There’s no one clear-cut team. There’s some quality out there. But I do think we’re definitely in the mix. And so is Newfield.”

Whitman is at 3-1-1 and Newfield is at 2-2-1 in Santiago’s 22nd and final season.

“We had a couple of hiccups early in the season against North Bab [and Ward Melville],” Santiago said. “We weren’t where we need to be. But today proved we’re right where we need to be.”

Santiago had been trying to decide on a No. 1 keeper.

“I definitely proved something today to my coaches, to my team,” Heras said.

“He deserves to be our starter from here on out,” Santiago said. “He played amazing today.”

Aidan Velasquez, a senior midfielder who’s back with the Newfield program after being with the NYCFC Academy, scored 6:10 into the game, beating Austin Yudin, who otherwise made eight saves.

Whitman tied it with 12 minutes remaining in the half. Edwin Alfaro sent a long ball into the box to Valencia.

“We’ve played for a long time [together],” Valencia said. “I gave him the look.”

Valencia finished with a header.

“I feel a little unlucky,” DiGiacomo said of the draw, “but I also feel a little fortunate because they had a few quality chances as well.”

Brian Heyman covers high school, college and pro sports. He joined Newsday in 2021 and previously worked as a sportswriter for The Journal News in White Plains and The Hudson Dispatch in Union City, New Jersey. His work has appeared in The New York Times, MLB.com and Baseball Digest magazine.