By Sal Nicosia The inaugural Blue & Orange Game was a huge success! Not only were the Ocean City Nor'easters able to engage the fans and community, but it was a fantastic show of PDL talent before the regular season begins. The Nor’easters had split their roster up, placing promising players on each side in an intersquad match that took place Saturday evening. Debuting new uniforms for the 2016 season the Nor’easters found a colorful way to kick off the new year.

After a wet beginning to the game, the action picked up tremendously. Newcomer Nathan Regis opened the scoring in the 30th minute when he found himself one-on-one in the box against against goalkeeper Andrew Garcia. With a beautiful flick Regis kicked the ball up to himself and chipped the goalkeeper to complete a beautiful goal that found the side netting. Regis is no stranger to scoring goals. He scored 32 of them last season for Pfeiffer University.

The 32nd minute produced a yellow card for Nick Hanuscin, as he slipped into a somewhat tumultuous tackle in front of the opposing bench. The card was a cautionary reminder that as all these young men will be teammates this season. There was definitely spirited competition between both sides to fight for a top spot on the opening day roster. Not long after the foul, Team Orange applied heavy pressure against the Blue back line. Marcello Petit saw an opening on an opportunity from a delightful cross from Fraser Colmer into the box and headed a goal to the back of the net to equalize for Orange.

Blue did not take long to get back in front.  In the late stages of the 1st half, Nolan Sherwood guided the ball past Andrew Garcia to retake the lead for the Blue team. The goal was followed by what would be a final break in the weather that would lead into an emphatic 2nd half.

After the sky had cleared for the second half, the Blue side had made adjustments to deal with the late Orange push that took place in the 1st half. Anthony Colofranson for the Blue team found the back of the net to extend their lead to two goals that they would not lose grasp of, despite the heavy push back of offense by the Orange side. Peterson and Petit each found the post and bar respectively in a flurry of attacks from the forwards that could not recover the game for the Orange side on this particular night.

The play for goalkeeper Michael Kirk for the Blue side was absolutely vital in the second half. His performance coupled with the play of Regis contributed to the Blue win. Notable players in the game also included Miguel Jamie, Raheem Somersall, and Fraser Colmer. Both teams however showed fantastic play in this inaugural game, giving us so much as an organization, fan base, and community to look forward to as these young men take the pitch each week at Carey Stadium.  

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