Division Title Winning Nor'easters eyeing matchup which could eliminate West Chester
2nd spot in the Mid-Atlantic still up for grabs
Preview by George Diamond
The Ocean City Nor’easters (9-2-0) will face a familiar opponent one last time before the USL-League Two regular season ends. West Chester United (6-3-2) makes the journey down the shore to the Beach House for the second time this season in a matchup that will decide their fate in the postseason.
The game will kickoff at 7:00 p.m. at Carey Stadium ("The Beach House") in Ocean City, N.J. America's Greatest Family Resort. Single-game tickets for Nor'easters home games can be purchased for $10 each. The easiest way to purchase tickets is to buy them online through the Nor'easters website (OceanCityFC.com). Tickets can also be purchased at the Carey Stadium gate either with cash or with a smartphone.
For fans unable to make it out to the Beach House, the Nor'easters are continuing to partner with BFA Productions to provide a live video broadcast via YouTube
An alternate link is available through the digital streaming platform Sports Engine. There will also be live updates provided on the Nor'easters' social media accounts:
Twitter/X: @OCNoreasters
and
As it stands, Reading United’s lopsided 6-1 victory over Real Central New Jersey on July 10th saw them leapfrog WCU in the Mid-Atlantic Divisional standings. Reading now hold 2nd place and a spot into the playoffs. While they and WCU are even on points, Reading has a +3 advantage in goal difference. This means that, assuming Reading beat already eliminated LVU Rush, West Chester will need to win by a lot against the Nor’easters who have the best defense in the division- only allowing 7 goals in 11 games. Likewise, if the Nor'easters beat West Chester, Reading will qualify with any result.
Ocean City and West Chester canceled each other out across their previous two meetings in 2024. In the first matchup, at YSC Sports, OC came out on top via a 3-1 win thanks to tallies from Marco Silva (Marshall/Coopersbug,PA) Josh Jones (Louisville/Hatfield, PA) and Jalen Anderson (USF/Hampden, CT).
In the most recent fixture, West Chester narrowly won 1-0 despite an incredible effort from Storn net minder Nathanael Sallah (Nebraska-Omaha/Hamburg,Germany). After WCU were awarded a spot kick, the German keeper saved the ensuing penalty. But, the linesman raised his flag, indicating a re-take. When Joshua Pulla stepped up to take again, Sallah was equal to the task once more and saved it again.
While the two sides will clash again at the Beach House, all the way in Pennsylvania, Reading United will also be fighting to ensure they clinch against LVU Rush. The game at Alvernia University will kick off simultaneously with the Storm’s game.
