Blake Israel stood with his Palm Beach Atlantic team as it prepared to step back onto the field for overtime against Montevallo on Feb. 16 in Pensacola, Fla. The Sailfish were one goal away from capturing their first win as an NCAA Division II program.

But for Israel, the next goal was worth much more than a victory.

“I’m going to score this last goal,” he told himself. “I’m going to do it for Stoneman Douglas.”

It had been two days since the tragic shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. — one that saw 17 students, teachers, coaches and administrators killed. Israel, a 2015 Stoneman Douglas alum and son of Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel, was heartbroken at the images he had seen in the previous 48 hours.

“I was devastated,” Israel said. “I just told myself I’m going to Pensacola and I’m going to play my heart out for all these people, for my community.”

And that’s just what he did. He had already scored twice prior to overtime, but he knew another goal would top off an inspired performance. He got what he wished for, scoring the game-winning goal with four minutes left in the first overtime period to down Montevallo 10-9.

Not only was it the first win for coach Stephen Tempone and his program, but it was a moment Israel and his teammates won’t soon forget. Israel and his attackmen jumped in the air celebrating before the rest of the team buried him in a dogpile.

“A few moments after, I realized ‘Wow, this really happened. I just scored the game-winner,’” Israel said. “I don’t really get emotional, but I was, just knowing that all those victims were looking down on me, God was looking down on me. You can’t write this. It was a miracle.”

It wasn’t only Israel that felt the win over Montevallo carried extra significance. The tragedy at Stoneman Douglas affected the entire team at Palm Beach Atlantic, which is less than an hour away from the high school.

“I started choking up addressing my team,” Tempone said. “The guy from Stoneman Douglas has three goals and the game-winner. If a tragedy was to happen to the community, then hopefully the community can find little things to put a smile on their faces and hopefully one day they get back to normalcy. Who better than the kid from Stoneman Douglas to do that?”

Looking back, the game-winner is a moment of pride for Israel, as he continues his sophomore season. But there was a time when he wasn’t sure he wanted to play.

The day of the Stoneman Douglas shooting, Israel and his team were headed on an eight-hour bus trip to Pensacola. He was looking forward to his second game until he got an ominous call from his father, who told him that there was a shooting at the school, where he played lacrosse for three seasons.

“I just knew from his voice that it was going to be horrible,” Israel said. “I was praying for the best, but deep down I knew it was going to be bad.”

Details started pouring out as the PBA team continued its trip from South Florida to the end of the Panhandle. He couldn’t think about the game — the images of heartbroken friends and family stuck in his head.

Israel lost his former football coach, Aaron Feis, who threw himself in front of students to protect them during the shooting. He lost friends and friends of friends.

How do you wrap your head around a tragedy the magnitude of Stoneman Douglas? The support of his teammates helped.

All through the long bus ride, teammates approached Israel with words like, “We got your back. We’re here for you,” or, “We’re playing for you tonight.” Once he had his teammates behind him, Israel knew he needed to play for the Parkland community.

Tempone made sure he kept an eye out for Israel, sending a text message to his father to let him know he was in good hands.

“I just kept checking in on Blake,” Tempone said. “I don’t think he realized how much I kept watching him to make sure he was good. I told our captains to keep an eye out for him.”

A motivated Israel gave Palm Beach Atlantic the game of his career, with a hat trick in the victory over Montevallo. It was just the start of the team’s effort to honor the victims of the Stoneman Douglas shooting.

Former PBA club coach Chris Southard, who still plays a role with the Division II team, bought red and grey beads — Stoneman Douglas school colors — to create bracelets in honor of Israel’s former school. The team wore the bracelets at a prayer service the Saturday after the Montevallo game.

The efforts of his team are not lost of Israel, who has scored seven goals in four games this season.

“It’s crazy to think that you’re from a little town called Parkland that nobody knows about,” Israel said. “One person does something, and the whole world knows. It means so much that the community is coming together. We’re so strong and we will persevere and get through this.”