One of the cliches of the sport of soccer is that a 2-0 lead is the most dangerous lead you can have. That cliche rang true on Saturday night as the Ocean City Nor’easters saw a 2-0 second half advantage fizzle away as they settled for a 2-2 draw in a road match at the Carolina Dynamo.

The Nor’easters got goals from Byron Carmichael (Marshall / Lumberton, NJ) and Ryan Richter (LaSalle / Southampton, PA), but the Dynamo answered with a goal in the 57th minute and a penalty kick in the 66th to level the match.

Ocean City extends their road unbeaten streak to three games (2-0-1) and reach the midpoint of the 2010 season with a 2-3-3 record. At the end of play on Saturday night, the club sits 10 points short of a playoff spot with a game in hand.

Saturday was a rare meeting between the two long-time USL clubs as the Dynamo (founded in 1991) hadn’t played Ocean City (founded in 1996) since the 2004 Eastern Conference Finals. In that game, the South Jersey Barons (as they were known then) had their hearts broken as the Dynamo’s Ryan Caugherty scored the game-winning goal in the 90th minute to put an end to South jersey’s undefeated season.

The match, played at High Point University just outside of Greensboro, N.C., would get off to a positive start for the Nor’easters as Carmichael continued his scoring touch in the 20th minute. Giancarlo Granese, who was making his fourth straight start for the club, assisted on Carmichael’s 4th goal of the season in the 20th minute to give the visitors a 1-0 lead. It was the third game in a row that Carmichael had scored in and was Granese’s second assist of the campaign.

They would go into halftime with that scoreline, only to have their total doubled three minutes after the break. William Swetra (James Madison / Egg Harbor, NJ) set up a free kick and served it into the box where he would find Carmichael who passed to Richter who beat the goalkeeper for his third goal of the season. Richter’s goal in the 49th minute gives him a point in three consecutive games (2 goals, 1 assist).

That 2-0 lead would not hold as Carolina pulled one back in the 58th minute with Chris Estridge’s third goal of 2010. 

Less than 10 minutes later, the Nor’easters would get whistled for foul in the penalty area, resulting in a spot kick in the 66th minute. Karo Okiomah would beat Tunde Ogunbiyi (Boston College / Gwynedd, PA) for his fourth goal of the season to level the game at 2-2.

The Nor’easters streak of six consecutive road games will come to an end next Friday when they travel to Reading United. Ocean City’s rivals to the north are currently in first place and are the defending PDL regular season champions. 
 
Ocean City next home game is Saturday, June 26 when they host the Central Jersey Spartans.