The Ocean City Nor’easters operated on three fronts in the club’s 26th season as a franchise in 2023. The Storm started in the spring with the team’s 10th appearance in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, picking up a win and narrowly lost to a pro team on the road. Then, Ocean CIty nearly went undefeated in the regular season for the second year in a row, but settled for a second straight Mid-Atlantic Division title and a third straight trip t o the USL League Two playoffs. The Nor’easters played their entire playoff run on the road, picking up two wins and falling in extra time in the Eastern Conference Final.

It was the club’s 20th season as a member of USL League Two and the 2023 campaign was another example of the team maintaining its place among the best in the league’s history.

Among the highlights for the Nor’easters in 2023, was an 8-1-5 record, with their only loss of the season coming on the final day of the season after they had already clinched the division. The Storm now have the third-best record (173-71-60) in the league since joining in 2003. Their home field advantage continues to be strong at Carey Stadium (“The Beach House”) in Ocean City, N.J., America’s Greatest Family Resort. They have the fourth-best home record (95-29-30) since 2003.

Photo: Jack Verdeur

The big offseason news for the Nor’easters was a change in leadership. After leading the club to an undefeated regular season and a division title, long-time members of the Nor’easters family, Kevin Nuss earned his ticket to the pros. Nuss was hired as an assistant coach with USL League One side Union Omaha leaving a vacancy at the head coaching position. In an effort to maintaining some consistency and trying to keep the momentum going into 2023, the Nor’easters hired Nuss’ assistant coach Matt Perrella from last season to be the new manager.

Perrella’s first test might have been his most challenging. His Nor’easters coaching career began with the U.S. Open Cup. Due to schedule changes with the country’s oldest soccer tournament, the competition now begins in March. This makes it difficult for USL League Two teams who rely primarily on active college players to form a competitive roster. For the second tournament in a row, Ocean City recruited a talented team of former Nor’easter players and some NAIA college players.

The Nor’easters drew fellow division rivals West Chester United (their United Soccer League of Pennsylvania team) and the game was the opening game of the entire tournament on March 21 in Wayne, Pa. After former Ocean City player Finn Reese opened the scoring for West Chester in the 12th minute, the Storm responded with three goals, one by Dylan Evande and a goal each by Bethel College (Ind.) teammates Andres Latorre and Andre “Dede” Sabino. With the 3-1 victory, it was the 13th all-time Open Cup win for Ocean City, the 12th as a member of USL-2. Only two teams in league history have more tournament wins than the Storm (Flint City Bucks, Des Moines Menace).

Photo: Jack Verdeur

In Round 2, the Nor’easters faced a professional team for the 15th time in club history. They traveled south to Boyds, Md. to take on the Maryland Bobcats (NISA). Kaleb Jackson opened the scoring for Ocean City, but the Bobcats scored two goals in the second half to take the lead. The game appeared to be over, but Vilius Labutis scored an equalizer for the Storm in the second minute of stoppage time. Then, still tied at 2-2, the game appeared to be headed to penalty kicks, but Maryland’s Phillip Brown scored off a corner kick on what proved to be the final kick of the game.

Another big offseason move was a partnership with Oaklyn United FC where the Eastern Premier Soccer League (EPSL) club became an official development team for the Nor'easters.

By the time the 2023 regular season began on May 20, Ocean City had assembled a team with a strong core from the 2022 undefeated team returning. Seven players were back at the Beach House including last year’s team MVP and Offensive Player of the Year Alessandro Arlotti (Harvard / San Remo, Italy), 2022 Creative Player of the Year Galen Flynn (St. Louis / West Hartford, CT), and Nor’easter Award winner Nick Pariano (Duke / Philadelphia, PA).



The 2022 USL-2 Golden Glove winner Felix Schafer (Santa Clara / Berlin, Germany) also made his return in an Ocean City uniform and he started the season opener on the road against Real Central New Jersey. Pariano delivered a ball to Sander Roed (Louisville / Tranby, Norway) who scored the opening goal of the season in the 55th minute. The game finished 1-0 with Schafer earning the clean sheet to set a new club record shutout streak. Schafer shut out the final four opponents of last season and combined with the 2023 season opener, the Nor’easters had gone 499 regular season minutes without allowing a goal.

It would end up being the only game Schafer would play in 2023 as he joined his college team at Santa Clara University for a tour of the United Kingdom. Between his 12 games last season and his one game in 2023, he boasts a career 0.50 goals against average, the lowest in club history.

Photo: Jack Verdeur

Roed continued his hot start to his Ocean City career with a pair of goals in the second game, which was a 3-1 road win against Lehigh Valley United. Teenager Andrew Kitch (North Carolina / Medford, NJ) added his first goal with the club, but United ruined the clean sheet with a free kick in the 87th minute. Stefano Camerlengo (Missouri-KC / Pescara, Italy) took over in goal for Ocean City and while he got his first win, the Nor’easters’ club record team shutout streak would come to an end at 587 minutes.

In the Nor’easters’ home opener two days later, Kitch struck again with a first half goal against the Philadelphia Lone Star FC in a 1-0 win. Kitch scored the game-winning goal, but Camerlengo may have been the hero when he saved a penalty kick in the 77th minute. The save by Camerlengo, and the defense holding strong for the remainder of the match with 10 men, gave Ocean City its fifth straight home opening win.

Photo: Jack Verdeur

Ocean City returned to the road and took a 1-0 lead into the 90th minute at long-time rival Reading United AC. But United scored an equalizer in the final seconds as the Nor’easters dropped points for the first time . Three days later, the Storm made some history with another shutout win, 2-0 at West Chester United. Ryan Becher (UCLA / Hummelstown, PA) and Sander Roed both scored to extend the Nor’easters’ regular season road unbeaten streak (dating back to 2019) to 20 games, which broke the club record. 

After a Becher brace (both goals assisted by Brad Dildy) the Nor’easters cruised past Lehigh Valley United 4-1 at the Beach House. Then, Camerlengo earned another clean sheet in a rare scoreless draw at Real Central New Jersey. The offense bounced back with a 4-1 road win over Philadelphia Lone Star FC with Arlotti tying a single-game club record with three assists.

Photo: Jack Verdeur

A few days later, the Nor’easters would welcome Reading United AC to the Beach House and it was a third straight 1-1 draw in the last three meetings in the United Soccer Leagues’ oldest active rivalry. After a two-hour weather delay, Ocean City got some revenge on Reading’s late equalizer three weeks earlier. United appeared to be ready to hand Ocean City their first regular season loss since 2021, but Nick Pariano (Duke / Philadelphia, PA) scored an equalizer from the penalty spot in second half stoppage time. After a draw in the 57th all-time meeting, the Nor’easters extended their unbeaten streak against their biggest rival to eight games (4-0-4).

The Storm had their unbeaten run threatened again three days later on the road against West Chester United. Down 2-0 after 23 minutes, Joao De Oliveira (Bethel College / Santa Catarina, Brazil) and Roed scored a goal each late in the second half to earn a 2-2 draw. With that draw, Ocean City finishes the regular season undefeated (4-0-3) on the road for the third year in a row and the fifth time in club history (2004, 2013, 2021, 2022, 2023).

Photo: Jack Verdeur

For just the second time in club history (2011), the Nor’easters had three straight draws after their home game against Real Central New Jersey finished at 1-1. An early goal by Jamie Davis (New Hampshire / Cheshire, England) was canceled out by a spectacular equalizer by RCNJ in the 87th minute.

Sander Roed had a goal and two assists to lead OCN to a 3-1 win over a 10-man Philadelphia Lone Star team. Two days later, on July 9, the Nor’easters endured a nearly three-hour lightning delay before kickoff, Jack Sarkos and Alessandro Arlotti each scored to give the Storm a 2-0 home win over Lehigh Valley. The win proved to be important because a few days later, a draw by West Chester United against RCNJ would clinched a second straight Mid-Atlantic Divsion title for Ocean City.

 

Photo: Jack Verdeur

On July 16, the Nor’easters wrapped up the 2023 regular season by hosting West Chester United at the Beach House. The Storm had a chance to become just the third team in league history to go undefeated in the regular season in consecutive seasons. Meanwhile, United had already been eliminated from playoff contention. Ocean City fell behind three times, but equalized three times. West Chester then scored three goals in the final 22 minutes to hand the Nor’easters their first loss since July 9, 2021 when it was West Chester that beat them on the same field.   

The Nor’easters were back in the playoffs for the third year in a row and they had to travel to Uniondale, NY for their opening game against the Northeast Division champion Long Island Rough Riders. It was the 25th all-time meeting with the Rough Riders in a rivalry that dates back to 2001. Josh Jones (Louisville / Hatfield, PA) scored a goal in the 4th minute only to see Long Island equalize in the 21st minute. In the 83rd minute, a pair of future UCLA teammates connected with Becher delivering a long ball to Jack Sarkos (UCLA / Margate City, NJ) for what would prove to be the game-winning goal. The 2-1 win avenged last year’s opening round playoff loss to Long Island.

 

 

Photo: Joe Hayburn

 

Less than 48 hours later, the Nor’easters were back on the same field against the Hudson Valley Hammers, the team that finished as the runner-up to Long Island in the Northeast Division. Ocean City scrapped and clawed to earn another 2-1 win. Nick Pariano scored both goals from the penalty spot, including the game-winner in second half stoppage time.



For the second straight weekend, the Nor’easters had to play a playoff game against a division champion at their home stadium. Ocean City’s fifth all-time Eastern Conference Final (USL-2 Quarterfinals) was played in Newport News, Va. at the home of the Chesapeake Division champions.
 
The game didn’t kick off until 11 p.m. Kickoff of the first game of the playoff doubleheader was delayed because of extreme heat. Colin Veltri (St. John’s / Mays Landing, NJ) and Nick Pariano each scored a goal in the first 17 minutes to give the Storm a 2-0 lead, but they were unable to hold it. The hosts scored two goals in a three-minute span (31’, 34’) to tie the game before halftime. After a scoreless second half the match went into extra time and Lionsbridge scored two goals to advance to the national semifinals, 4-2.

Lionsbridge would ultimately advance to the USL-2 championship game, but they would fall to Ballard FC, by the score of 2-1.