The Ocean City Nor’easters have taken full control of the Mid-Atlantic Division with a 2-1 road win over second place West Chester United.on Wednesday night. It was the second meeting between the two teams this season and for the second time, West Chester scored a goal in the third minute only to have the Nor’easters storm back to win the game.

With the win, the Nor’easters (8-0-2) have a seven point lead over United with four games left to play. The win also clinches the season series over West Chester (6-3-1), giving Ocean City a critical tiebreaker over them.

Alessandro Arlotti (Harvard / San Remo, Italy) scored the game-winner in the 65th minute. The team’s top scorer headed home a beautiful bending cross from Nick Pariano (Duke / Philadelphia, PA), who scored Ocean City’s opening goal from the penalty spot in the 39th minute.

The victory extends a number of streaks for the Nor’easters. The Storm are undefeated in their first 10 games of the season, which is the best start to a season since the club’s undefeated regular season in 2004. The in-season unbeaten streak is at 10, but including the last game of the 2021 campaign and it’s 11. The club record unbeaten streak on the road has now reached 12 games.

“This team proved that we have the heart to accomplish big things,” said Nor’easters head coach Kevin Nuss, who extended his personal coaching unbeaten streak to 17 games. “After failing to convert some chances going forward, we let up a set piece goal against the run of play but we fought right back.”

He added: “This team is fun to watch and I’m glad I get to be a part of it.”

The goal against the run of play he referred to came in the third minute. West Chester took a free kick from the left wing and drove a ball into the box which was headed toward the goal and found its way through a crowded penalty area and into the back of the net.

Ocean City would find an equalizer in the 39th minute from a penalty kick. MD Myers (Rutgers / Delran, NJ) delivered a pass to Galen Flynn (Fordham / West Hartford, CT) in the box and his shot struck the hand of a West Chester player and the referee blew the whistle. Pariano stepped up and converted the PK to score his second goal in as many games.

Pariano would play provider for the game-winner in the 65th minute when his curling cross found the head of Alessandro Arlotti. For Arlotti, it was the sixth time this season that he was responsible for a game-winning goal. This was his second game-winning goal (to go along with four game-winning assists) and his team-leading fifth goal of the season.

Felix Schafer (Santa Clara / Berlin, Germany) played the full 90 minutes in goal for the Storm and earned his seventh win of the season. The seven wins in a season is the most by an Ocean City goalkeeper since (current Los Angeles FC goalkeeper) John McCarthy won 11 games in 2012.

The Nor’easters will have little time to rest as their next game is this Friday, July 1. They will host Real Central New Jersey at Carey Stadium (“The Beach House”) at 7 p.m.