With the club’s fourth game in eight days, a tired Ocean City Barons team earned a 1-1 draw against the undefeated Ottawa Fury in a Fourth of July matchup at Carey Stadium. The draw extends the Barons’ current unbeaten streak to three games (2-0-1), while the Fury continue their quest to complete a rare undefeated season in the PDL.

Barons Lineup	School / Hometown
GK - Tunde Ogunbiyi	Boston College / Gwynedd, PA
DEF - Jamal Neptune	Hofstra / East Windsor, NJ
DEF - Neal Melchionni	Lehigh / Marmora, NJ
DEF - Leon Brown	Wheeling Jesuit (’04) / Sicklerville, NJ
DEF - Joe Banks	Drexel (’07) / Sicklerville, NJ
MID - Ryan Richter	LaSalle / Southampton, PA
MID - J.T. Noone	Temple / Harrisburg, PA
MID - Rory McCrea	Hofstra / Leeds, England
MID - William Swetra	James Madison / Egg Harbor, NJ
FWD - Kyle Miller	Holy Cross / Woodbury, NJ
FWD - Byron Carmichael	Marshall (’03) / Lumberton, NJ
Substitutes
Ryan Richter	LaSalle / Southampton, PA
Kyle Miller	Holy Cross / Woodbury, NJ
Neal Melchionni	Lehigh / Marmora, NJ
Scoring Summary
39th (OTTAWA)	Liam Maloney (Unassisted)
49th (OCEAN CITY)	Byron Carmichael (Neal Melchionni)
Game Stats	OCEAN CITY						OTTAWA
Shots	7						4
Saves	3						5
Fouls	10						21
Offsides	10						2
Corners	7						1

After trailing 1-0 at halftime, Byron Carmichael (Marshall / Lumberton, NJ) scored the equalizing goal in the 49th minute on a Neal Melchionni (Lehigh / Marmora, NJ) free kick. Tunde Ogunbiyi made three saves to help the team earn a valuable point against one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.

 

The draw leaves the Barons with a record of 7-3-2 and in sole possession of third place in the Northeast Division. The top three teams make the playoffs and the only team that can overtake Ocean City in the standings is the fourth place Brooklyn Knights who are four points behind with four games remaining in the season. The Knights and the Barons square off in Brooklyn in the second to last game of the season on July 15.

“We were forced to play [Ottawa’s] style of play, which really didn’t suit us,” said Barons assistant coach John Thompson. “Some of the boys are really tired after four games in eight days, it could have been a much sharper game from us.”

The Barons were able to create some solid chances in the opening half in the newly re-sodded Carey Stadium. Ocean City was playing their first game at The Beach House since they defeated the Real Maryland Monarchs 1-0 in the Second Round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on June 16.

Early in the half, Kyle Miller (Holy Cross / Woodbury, NJ) was sent in behind the defense with a lead pass. Miller took a shot with his right foot and forced Michael Drozd, the Ottawa goalkeeper, to make a diving save and earn a corner kick for Ocean City.

Ocean City super sub Ryan Richter (LaSalle / Southampton, PA) nearly opened up the scoring 10 minutes later when he struck a volley from 25 yards out. Drozd made the save, but couldn’t control the ball, giving Carmichael a chance at a goal. However, the Ottawa keeper dove on the ball, barely beating the Barons’ leading scorer to the mark.

The Fury would break the deadlock in the 39th minute when an Ottawa corner kick was cleared by the Barons defense. With the backline pushing forward, Liam Maloney snuck in behind and received a pass on the left side of the goal and bent it around Ogunbiyi, off the post and into the net.

“It was a scrappy game,” said Thompson. “The ball was in the air a lot so we made some changes to get the ball to feet and to play more directly so we could create more chances.” 

Ocean City’s efforts to tie the game up in the second half paid off right away as Neal Melchionni (Lehigh / Marmora, NJ) drove a free kick from 40 yards away, diagonally across the field. The ball would find Carmichael at the far post who timed his jump perfectly and snapped a header into the back of the net for his seventh goal of the season and his ninth in all competitions. For Melchionni, it was his first PDL assist.

PDL NORTHEAST DIVISION	Record	Pts
Long Island Rough Riders	10-2-1	31
Ottawa Fury	8-0-4	28
OCEAN CITY BARONS	7-3-2	23
Brooklyn Knights	6-3-3	21
(Top 3 qualify for playoffs)
Barons’ remaining schedule
7/7 - at New Jersey 7/11 - vs. New Hampshire 7/15 - at Brooklyn 7/19 - vs. New Jersey

The gameplan was to play the ball more with their feet, but the best chance for the home team in the second half came on headers and balls played in the air.

 

Shortly after Carmichael’s goal, William Swetra (James Madison / Egg Harbor, NJ) sent Richter down the right wing. Richter one timed the ball across the field to a wide open Carmichael who headed it over the ball from close range.

Later, Leon Brown (Wheeling Jesuit / Sicklerville, NJ) put a long free kick into the box where it was headed across goal by J.T. Noone (Temple / Harrisburg, PA). Joe Banks (Drexel / Sicklerville, NJ) was in the right place at the right time, but headed the ball over the crossbar.

Finally, the best chance of the half came with 10 minutes remaining when Carmichael got behind the defense again. A ball was sent over the top and when the Ottawa defender fell down, Carmichael was in alone with the goalkeeper, but Drozd made the last, and likely the finest, of his five saves.

The Barons tough schedule continues just a few days later as they travel north to take on the New Jersey Rangers in Denville, NJ at Morris Catholic High School on Tuesday at 7 p.m.