A warm night in Long Branch saw the Ocean City Nor’easters suffer their first loss of the Premier Development League (PDL) season at the hands of the Jersey Express. Ocean City’s Miguel Jaime scored a pair of goals but it wasn’t enough as the club fell to the Express, 4-2.

The Express pushed hard from the start making goalkeeper Logan Ketterer work hard in the first nine minutes. His acrobatic save in the 9th minute would keep the Express from an early lead despite their strong offensive possessions up until that point.

Ocean City forward Miguel Jaime, who scored in last Saturday’s 3-0 season opening win over the Baltimore Bohemians, used his speed to create an early chance but he was turned away by the Jersey goalkeeper. Jaime would find the back of the net in the 25th minute with a fantastic run and pass from Chevy Walsh, putting the Nor’easters up 1-0.

The Express would respond in the 31st minute with a set piece goal from former Nor’easters player Chris Karcz. Karcz would find the back of the net again in the 39th minute. With two goals in eight minutes, the momentum had clearly switched to the home team as the Express took a 2-1 lead into the halftime break.

The second half would only see the trend continue for the Express as they used physical play in the midfield to create chances and ultimately score off another corner kick in the 55th minute. The pressure continued, but the back four of the Nor’easters, led by PDL Team of the Week member Daniel Nimmo, held fast. The Ocean City defense had multiple clearances including a goal line save from Cristobal Allendes.

With such defensive production came an offensive attack, and once again it was Jaime lurking in the box and cleaning up a loose ball to bring the deficit to one in the 79th minute. For Jaime, it was his team-leading third goal of the season, which is tied for second in the league.

In the final minutes of the game, with the Express pushing up into the Nor’easters box, the match official called for a corner kick. While the corner kick was being set up, Ocean City’s Jaime was shown a red card for a verbal altercation with the referee. The ensuing corner would result in what would be the fourth and final goal for the Express, sealing the game and giving the Nor’easters their first loss of the young season.

“The field here is small and challenged us athletically,” said Nor’easters head coach Tim Oswald. “We conceded all four goals on set pieces and need to address the way we played in the box in training.”

The Nor’easters will look to bounce back this weekend when they travel to Virginia to take on Evergreen FC. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m.

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The Nor'easters home opener is scheduled for Saturday, June 4 against Reading United. It is scheduled for a 7 p.m. kickoff at Carey Stadium.

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The Ocean City Nor’easters is a professionally run amateur soccer club with the focus of developing, educating and promoting soccer, health and leadership. Located in Ocean City, New Jersey, “America’s Greatest Family Resort”, the Nor’easters provide quality entertainment to families throughout the Tri-State area and the thousands of visitors every summer.

The Nor’easters organization was established in 1996 and made Carey Stadium, in Ocean City, NJ, its permanent home in 2005. Competing in North America’s top amateur league, the Premier Development League (PDL), the Nor’easters provide the highest level of soccer in Southern New Jersey. The 65-team PDL is the 4th level of soccer in the United States, below the professional leagues; Major League Soccer (MLS), North American Soccer League (NASL) and United Soccer League (USL). As part of the PDL, the Nor’easters’ have the sixth-best overall record since joining the league in 2003 and have upset five professional teams in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, third-most of any amateur team in the country. Ocean City players have the ability to compete during the summer months in a professional environment while maintaining their collegiate eligibility and pursuing their academic goals.