As the torrent of rain slowed, then faded, the Vermont Green FC surged. The team had already turned a one-goal deficit into a 5-3 lead over AC Connecticut when, in the waning minutes of the match, Green forward Nacho Lerech slid the soccer ball into the back of the net.
The goal all but assured the Green a victory, which would improve their record to 7-2 in league play and send them to the top of the standings. The players rushed to the stands in celebration, and were met by 1,533 soggy diehards brandishing a frenzy of flags, drums and cheers. It was an archetypal sports scene, except for the 80-foot banner hanging to the left of the goal the Green had just scored on. In enormous white letters, it declared: Climate justice is social justice.
