By Sal Nicosia

Looking to come off two PDL losses in a row, the Ocean City Nor’easters looked to find their offense at Carey Stadium. 

And they did just that.

The Nor’easters, hosting Evergreen FC at The Beach House, would defeat the visitors by a resounding 3-1 score line.

The last time these two teams played, the Nor’easters found similar victory by way of a Chevaughn “Chevy” Walsh (Jefferson University/ Jamaica) hat trick at the Evergreen Sports Complex. With the win on Saturday, they move within four points of Reading United in first place in the Mid-Atlantic Division.

Tonight as the Nor’easters looked to regain form new faces appeared in the lineup including Mutaya Mwape (UConn / Luaka, Nambia), Ryan Howe (Loyola Chicago / Rockford, IL) and Andre Morrison (Hartford / Clarendon, Jamaica). All additions to the team sheet following a 3-0 win over the New England Under-23s squad last weekend.

The game was open for much of the time with the Nor’easters having the majority of the possession throughout the game. The Nor’easters would score off a Mwape cross that found the boot of Nathan Regis (Pfeiffer / Trinidad & Tobago) to put the team up 1-0 in the 26th minute. The 35th minute would render a goal for Evergreen and would bring them level as the first half played to a draw.

The impressive PDL debut by Mwape continued as he helped the Nor'easters create multiple chances as Ocean City outshot Evergreen 13-to-3 in the first 45 minutes. Mwape would go off in the 43rd minute for what appeared to be a right leg injury and was replaced before the half by Martim Galvao (Pfeiffer / Lisbon, Portugal) who would play an intricate role in the rest of the match.

The Nor’easters would continue a dominating performance even after conceding the goal to Evergreeen. With lock down defense from Morrison, the Nor’easters could pick up the pace offensively as they had two goals disallowed in the second half.

Galvao finally found the goal that would put them ahead. Galvao scored what has arguably been the best goal of the season for the Nor’easters. Galvao beat four defenders with beautiful footwork and beat the keeper to send the Nor’easters into the lead, 2-1.

This offensive push wouldn’t stop with Galvao, as we saw Nolan Sherwood (Rocky Mountain / Las Vegas, NV) come on for Walsh in the 88th minute. Sherwood made the difference in the game after being on for just a minute as he would receive a pass that would lead to his shot which would find the top corner of the net for the Nor’easters in the 89th minute.

The goal by Sherwood and the strong play by Mwape and Morrison ultimately led to this decisive victory for the Nor’easters as they claim all three points in this important mid-season matchup.

The Nor’easters look on to their next game which will be an away game at Evergreen FC on Tuesday night. The Nor’easters will look to complete the sweep of Evergreen as well as take the home and home series against Evergreen.

Saturday's game marked the final game of the regular season at Carey Stadium as The Beach House will be undergoing a massive renovation. The field will receive a new organic artificial turf as the team will play their remaining five home games -- the last five games of the regular season -- at the Tennessee Avenue Complex in Ocean City, NJ. 

Fans who can't make the trip to Virginia can follow the game on the Nor'easters Twitter account @OCNoreasters and get all the latest news at www.oceancityfc.com.

--------------
For individual tickets, click HERE. For group tickets, email tickets@oceancityfc.com, or call the ticket office at (609) 736-4849.

For more information on the Ocean City Nor'easters or to "Follow the Storm" on social media, go to www.oceancityfc.com/followthestorm or text "FOLLOWTHESTORM" to 22828 to join the "Storm Watch" e-newsletter.

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.