Ocean City Nor'easters Nick Pariano (Duke / Philadelphia, PA) has added a pair of major awards to his resume. The Philadelphia native was voted the 2023 Mid-Atlantic Division Player of the Year. He added to that by being named to the USL League Two Team of the Year.

This year, USL League Two decided to shift away from All-Conference teams and elected to choose the best player from each division. The award was voted on by coaches and executives from teams in the Mid-Atlantic Division. After 18 divisions crowned their top players, the league selected the Team of the Year, or the "Best XI" as some call it.

Pariano becomes just the sixth player in club history to be named to the league's Best XI. He joins a list that includes three league MVPs: Deri Corfe (2019), Chevaughn "Chevy" Walsh (2016), and Ruben Mingo (2004). The other two came from the 2004 season, Neil Holloway and John Thompson.

"Nick is a fantastic talent," said Nor'easters head coach Matt Perrella. "He connects the team not only with his poise and presence, but his ball control and passing range are both phenomenal. He's a great teammate and leader by example. He works hard, he's fit for 90 minutes, every team could use a Nick Pariano."

In his second season with the Nor'easters, Pariano was once again one of the anchors of the midfield. He played in nearly every game, helping the Storm finish with an 8-1-5 record, and winning two playoff games. The only game he didn’t play in was the last regular season game of the season after the Storm had already clinched the Mid-Atlantic Division title. In Ocean City's third straight playoff appearance, he played nearly every minute of the team's three postseason games. Pariano was one of five players on the roster to play in 13 or more games, and one of four field players to play more than 1,000 minutes.

Pariano was the team’s third leading scorer in all competitions, scoring six goals and dishing out two assists. Three of those goals came in the playoffs. He had two game-winning goals, one of them was in the Eastern Conference Semifinal against the Hudson Valley Hammers when he scored a PK in second half stoppage time. He also had a game-winning assist in the season opening road win against Real Central New Jersey.



In his two seasons in Ocean City, he has already cracked the Top 25 in the club's all-time scoring list with five goals and five assists.

Pariano will be a senior at Duke University in the fall. The Blue Devils, who finished with an undefeated regular season last year, enter the 2023 season ranked No. 4 in the United Soccer Coaches preseason poll.

"I feel very fortunate to have been able to work with Nick this season and look forward to following him through his next phase of the game," said Perrella. "He's got to be one of the all time greats for our club."