In recent years, matchups between the Ocean City Nor’easters and West Chester United are almost always big ones. Tuesday’s game at YSC Sports in Wayne, Pa. is no different.

The winner of the game will be alone in first place in the Mid-Atlantic Division. Ocean City and West Chester both enter the midweek match with identical records at 3-0-1.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Fans who are unable to make the trip to Wayne, Pa. for the game can watch it online through Eleven Sports. Check the Nor’easters’ social media accounts (@OCNoreasters) for the link.

This is Ocean City’s first league meeting with West Chester United, but this is the second time they’ve played this season in Wayne, Pa. On March 21, the Nor’easters faced off with United in the opening game of the 2023 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. Both teams featured drastically different rosters. Only three current Ocean City players were on the US Open Cup roster (Andre Sabino, Brady Hockman, Joao Oliveria) and the West Chester team was the club’s roster from the United Soccer League of Pennsylvania team. Former Ocean City player Finn Reese scored the first goal but the Storm had three unanswered goals from Andres Latorre, Dylan Evande, and a penalty kick by Sabino. It was the 12th US Open Cup win in Ocean City’s USL League Two history (13 overall) by Ocean City, the third-most of all amateur teams in the Modern Era  (1995-present).

West Chester United, which was founded in 1976, quickly became one of the top amateur clubs in the region since their first season of their adult soccer program in 2008. And while they have a long list of accomplishments in various leagues and tournaments, they didn’t join USL League Two until until 2021 when they won the Mid-Atlantic Division title with an 11-1-2 record. That year, Ocean City and WCU played four times. Each team won a game and the third finished in a draw. The two clubs faced off in the playoffs on a neutral site and West Chester edged the Storm 1-0. It was the first time the Nor’easters had played a team four times in a single season.

With the Open Cup game and three meetings on the regular season schedule, 2023 will be the second time.

Last year, Ocean City swept all three tightly-contested games, two of them played at the Beach House. The Storm lead the all-time series 5-2-1.

Ocean City has played just one game at home, winning a tight 1-0 home opener over Philadelphia Lone Star bac on May 26. Three of their first four regular season games have been on the road with wins over Real Central New Jersey, Lehigh Valley and last Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Reading United AC. Alessandro Arlotti scored the opening goal in the first half off a Nick Pariano corner kick, but Reading scored an equalizer in second half stoppage time. Even with the draw, it extended the Storm’s unbeaten streak against their long-time rival to seven games (4-0-3).

Despite a disappointing 1-1 draw for Ocean City, the team still managed to make history. The Nor’easters are now unbeaten in 19 regular season games (15-0-4) dating back to the 2021 season. That ties the club record set back in 2005. The Storm also extended their club record road unbeaten streak to 17 games.

Sander Roed leads the Nor’easters in scoring early in the campaign with three. Medford, NJ teenager Andrew Kitch is second with two. Stefano Camerlengo has been in goal for the last three games for Ocean City, boasting a 2-0-1 record and allowing just two goals. Last year’s USL-2 Golden Glove winner Felix Schafer hasn’t played since earning a clean sheet in the season opener against RCNJ. He is currently riding a club record personal shutout streak of 499 minutes. The last team to score against Schafer was West Chester United back on June 29, 2022.

West Chester have won three of their first four games this season, beating the same opponents: Real Central New Jersey on the road and Lehigh Valley United and Philadelphia Lone Star both at home. Just like Ocean City, the only blemish on their record is a draw (2-2) on the road against Reading United.